Hastert fighting to get his teacher pension back
ormer U.S. House Speaker Dennis Hastert is challenging a decision by the Teachers' Retirement System to terminate his pension and go after a refund of $222,808, arguing the federal charges he was convicted of last spring are not directly connected to his time as a teacher.
"No specific charges were ever brought against Mr. Hastert in relation to conduct that occurred while he was a teacher," lawyer Mark DeBofsky wrote in a letter to the pension system, which the Daily Herald obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request.
Hastert, of Plano, is serving 15 months in a federal prison in Minnesota after pleading guilty to money laundering charges involving payments to cover up sexual misconduct. At his April 27 sentencing, Hastert admitted he had sexually abused teenage boys he'd taught and coached at Yorkville High School, where he worked from 1965 to 1981.
"The applicable limitations period for charging any such offense expired long before the federal indictment was issued," DeBofsky wrote. He also referenced a 1987 Illinois Appellate Court decision that found it is unlawful for TRS to seek to recoup benefits paid prior to the date of conviction.
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