Dennis Hastert Loses State Lawmaker Pension

SPRINGFIELD -- Former U.S. Speaker of the House J. Dennis Hastert will no longer receive a pension for his time spent as a state lawmaker. An Illinois pension board voted 5-2 Wednesday to yank the $28,000 annual pension he received for serving in the Illinois General Assembly from 1981 to 1986, according to Crain's Chicago Business. The disgraced politician is currently serving a 15-month sentence for lying to the FBI about "hush money" he paid to a former student he allegedly sexually abused.

The victim, identified in court documents at James Doe, is suing Hastert for $1.8 million he claims the former speaker still owes him. In January, Hastert filed a counterclaim seeking repayment of $1.7 million, saying that any "hush money" already paid was illegal, and even if it wasn't, his victim violated the deal by speaking with authorities about it.

In April 2016, Hastert was sentenced to 15 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release for lying to the FBI and evading federal rules governing bank transactions. In court, he apologized for having "mistreated some of my athletes as coach." He is due to get out of prison in August.

After his sentencing, the Illinois Teachers' Retirement System revoked Hastert's pension for his time as a teacher at Yorkville High School, where the abuse allegedly occurred.

On Wednesday, State Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant (D-Shorewood) said revoking the state lawmaker pension isn't enough.

“The decision to diminish the monthly pension payout to Dennis Hastert does not dismiss the fact that he used his trusted position as a teacher and coach to prey on his young victims," she said. "It should be eliminated."

Bertino-Tarrant said she sent a letter to the Illinois General Assembly Retirement System (GARS) board asking it to suspend Hastert's public pension benefits. He is still eligible for a pension from his service in Congress from 1987 to 2007.

Hastert could appeal the board's decision to take the state lawmaker pension, according to Crain's.

Photo: Former House Speaker Dennis Hastert leaves the Dirksen Federal Court House in a wheelchair after his sentencing on April 27, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. Credit: Joshua Lott/Getty Images News/Getty Images