Hastert released from prison

Former Republican U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert has been released from a federal prison in Minnesota, where he served a sentence for bribing people not to disclose a sex-abuse scandal. U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin handed down the sentence in April 2016, calling Hastert a “serial child molester.” The accusation stemmed from Hastert’s time as a coach at a high school in Yorkville, Ill., from 1965 to 1981. The statute of limitations to prosecute Hastert for abuse had passed, so he was charged with violating a federal banking law for attempting to pay $3.5 million in hush money to people who knew of the crimes. Hastert had to serve at least 85 percent of his 15-month sentence. Federal records show the 75-year-old is now at a Chicago residential re-entry management office.