'Serial Child Molester' Dennis Hastert Done Serving Sentence

KENDALL COUNTY, IL — A month after leaving federal prison and more than a year after admitting in court to sexually molesting young boys during his time as a teacher and coach in Yorkville, former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert is officially done serving his sentence. Hastert served 85 percent of his 15-month sentence at Rochester Federal Medical Center in Minnesota after he was convicted of violating federal banking regulations while paying out "hush money" to keep sex abuse allegations under wraps.

He left federal lockup last month but was eligible to serve out the remainder of his time in a halfway house or on home confinement. Hastert also was required to undergo sex-offender treatment.

Hastert's attorney declined to say whether he was on home confinement or living in a halfway house since his July 17 release from prison, but the former speaker visited the Lake County Sheriff's office to be placed on electronic monitoring, according to CBS. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

In April 2016, Hastert apologized in court for having "mistreated some of my athletes as coach," admitting, "What I did was wrong and I regret it ... I took advantage of them." Judge Thomas Durkin called the former legislator a "serial child molester."

Though he is a free man as of Wednesday, Hastert still faces two separate lawsuits filed by sexual abuse accusers.

More from Patch:

• New Hastert Accuser To Remain Anonymous: Judge
• Hastert To Victim: 'How Much?'
• Dennis Hastert Loses State Lawmaker Pension
• Accuser Responds To Dennis Hastert's Demand For 'Hush Money' Repayment
• Hastert to Alleged Abuse Victim: 'Pay Me'

Photo via Lake County Sheriff's Department