Dennis Hastert, disgraced ex-speaker, dies at 84

Dennis Hastert, the disgraced former U.S. House speaker who served time in federal prison, died at 84 while under hospice care at his home in Plano, Illinois, the Kendall County Coroner’s Office said in a statement to Axios. Hastert pleaded guilty in 2015 to evading banking laws after prosecutors investigated large cash withdrawals that he allegedly concealed. Court records also showed he paid hush money related to prior sexual abuse of boys while he worked as a teacher and high school wrestling coach; prosecutors alleged he molested at least four boys, some as young as 14. He received 15 months and was released in 2017 after serving 13 months.