Dennis Hastert: 8 facts on the former House Speaker

The former House Speaker faces a $250,000 fine and up to 5 years in prison

Justin Carissimo
Friday 29 May 2015 19:57 BST
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The Justice Department has indicted former House Speaker Dennis Hastert on evasion charges and lying to the FBI to "cover up past misconduct."

“He had been withdrawing cash in increments of less than $10,000 to evade currency transaction reporting requirements because he wanted his agreement to compensate Individual A to remain secret so as to cover up his past misconduct,” the indictment said.

Here are five things to know about the former Illinois politician, who now faces two felony counts with the potential of 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

1. The details of the alleged misconduct were withheld from the public documents.

US Attorney Zachary T. Fardon agreed to withhold details of the indictment against the former Illinois Republican, according to BuzzFeed News. Mr Fardon had originally planned to move forward with an explicit indictment of Mr Hastert.

2. He was born in Aurora, Illinois.

He has two children with his wife, Jean. The 73-year-old — who often goes by "Denny" — is a graduate of both Wheaton College and Northern Illinois University.

3. He was a teacher 16 years.

Mr Hastert was a history teacher at Yorkville High School in Illinois where he also coached the football and wrestling clubs from 1964 to 1980. He was named Illinois Coach of the Year after winning a state championship with the Yorkville High School wrestling team.

4. He has a long tenure as an Illinois politician.

He began serving in the Illinois House of Representatives in 1980, and the U.S. House of Representatives in 1987. He served as the House chief deputy minority whip from 1995 to 1999.

5. He was a part of the 2006 Mark Foley scandal.

Mr Hastert was caught in a scandal when former Florida Republican Mark Foley sent sexually explicit messages to male congressional pages. After the scandal, the House was voted to the Democratic Party.

6. He is the longest-serving Republican speaker in US history.

He began serving as speaker of the House in 1999 and declined to run for re-election in 2007.

7. He was a K Street Project lobbyist.

Before joining the House in 1987, his net worth was $270,000 and skyrocketed between $4 million and $17 million, according to congressional disclosure documents, the Washington Post reported.

8. He resigned from his newest position after the indictment came to light.

In 2008, he became a senior adviser for the lobbying firm Dickstein Shapiro. And he's since resigned from his role.

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