Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan has been found guilty on multiple federal charges, including conspiracy and bribery, following a four-month trial in Chicago that concluded with a jury convicting the longtime politician. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Madigan, age 82, was convicted on ten counts of a 22-count indictment, with the jury delivering a mixed verdict by acquitting him on several charges and a mistrial declared on six counts for which the jury could not reach a unanimous decision.
During his tenure, Madigan, who was once considered one of the most powerful politicians in Illinois, was accused of leveraging his official role to elicit private gains for himself and his associates. Among these allegations the trial uncovered that Madigan conspired to have the utility company Commonwealth Edison pay his associates in exchange for maintaining their loyalty; moreover, this entailed the expectation of little or no work in return for these payments, as they were essentially bribes to influence Madigan's support on legislation advantageous to ComEd. The verdict arrived without the finality of a sentencing date, yet the gravity of the charges weighs heavily, with counts of wire fraud carrying a maximum of 20 years in prison and 10 years for each bribery count.
While justice's wheels ground to a verdict on Madigan, his co-defendant, Michael F. McClain, 77, also found himself caught in the same wheels, albeit with less finality – Judge John Robert Blakey declared a mistrial on all counts related to McClain due to a hung jury. The intricate web of corruption allegedly included not only the solicitation of Commonwealth Edison payments but also improper award of legal work to Madigan's private law practice, as well as an incident involving an Alderman from the Chicago City Council and a sought-after appointment to a compensated state board position by Madigan, all indicators of a vast scheme to convert political power into personal gain.
Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual, alongside officials from the FBI and IRS, marked the conviction as a significant outcome following extensive efforts to tackle corruption at high levels of Illinois' state government; "Madigan", who served in various political capacities, including his long-standing role as House Speaker, had his machinations within state politics brought into sharp focus during the trial.
