Ex-Illinois House speaker sentenced to more than seven years on federal corruption charges

CHICAGO (CN) — Mike Madigan was sentenced Friday to seven-and-a-half years in prison on federal bribery and racketeering charges, sunsetting a decadelong federal investigation into the former Illinois House speaker.

Madigan, 83, was also dealt $2.5 million in fines. The courtroom at Dirksen Federal Courthouse was packed for the former lawmaker’s sentencing, so much so that court marshals had to open an overflow room to watch the proceedings.

Madigan was indicted in 2022 in connection to a bribery scheme with utility provider CommonwealthEdison. The indictment said Madigan conspired to pass bills that would benefit ComEd and its parent company, the Exelon Corporation, from 2011 to 2019.

Madigan served as a representative in the Illinois statehouse for 50 years, leading the Legislature for 36 years before stepping down in 2021. He was the longest serving state legislative leader in U.S. history. ComEd washed its hand of the bribery scheme in 2020 when it paid $200 million to the federal government for criminal liability.

Prosecutors claim that Madigan was at the center of the ComEd bribery scheme, which granted $1.3 million of do-nothing contracts, and originally asked for a 12-and-a-half-year sentence for the former speaker, while defense attorneys asked for probation.

“There’s really a tale of two Madigans,” U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey, a Barack Obama appointee said. “And it’s really difficult to reconcile the recommendations the parties gave me.”

Madigan’s attorneys filed nearly 200 letters from family, friends and former politicians ahead of Madigan’s sentencing, which described him as a man of integrity.

After a trial that spanned four months, a jury found Madigan guilty on 10 of the 23 corruption charges he faced, and not guilty on seven counts. The jury deadlocked on the remaining charges Madigan shared with longtime ally Mike McClain, a former Illinois lawmaker who the indictment described as a “smoke screen” for Madigan’s illegal activity.

The jury was unable to reach a verdict for McClain, who prosecutors painted as a key member of the Madigan Enterprise. Aside from its dealings with ComEd, the indictment says the enterprise also worked to funnel legal work to Madigan’s private law firm and arrange jobs for Madigan’s allies.

Prosecutors said Madigan had employers such as ComEd and AT&T Illinois arrange jobs for his associates in exchange for political favor in the state Legislature between 2011 and 2019. McClain was convicted in 2023, along with the so-called ComEd four, on charges of federal conspiracy and falsifying records.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Julia Schwartz said Madigan pointed his fingers at others instead of taking responsibility for his crimes.

She added that the court needs to issue a stiff sentence to make it clear that corruption of public office is unacceptable.

“Defendant’s crimes have added another sordid chapter to the history of corruption and pay-to-play politics in Illinois,” Schwartz said.

Madigan’s attorney Dan Collins said the sentencing shouldn’t be based on rhetoric, it should be based on reality. More specifically, it should be based on the reality of Mike Madigan — a family man, and a dedicated public servant.

“The rhetoric wants to make Mike responsible for the long history of corruption in the state of Illinois,” Collins said.

“I hope we don’t sentence him on the rhetoric. I hope we sentence him on the reality,” he continued. “The reality is that he looked out for the little guy; the reality is that he takes care of his sick wife; and the reality is that Mike Madigan is a good man.

Madigan has repeatedly denied any involvement with the corruption scheme, and filed a motion for a new trial on Monday, which was denied by U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey, a Barack Obama appointee.

Madigan testified during his trial and didn’t expressly deny recommending his allies for jobs. But he maintained that it was just that: a recommendation. Madigan told jurors that when people approached him for help finding work between 2011 and 2019, he’d refer them to McClain.

“Throughout your career in politics, did people ask you for help?” Madigan’s attorney Dan Collins asked him early in his testimony.

“Yes,” he responded.

Collins then asked the former speaker if he ever traded his public office for private gain.

“No,” Madigan said.

Blakey said the evidence proved that Madigan lied under oath and admonished him for committing perjury.

“You lied, sir. You lied. You did not have to. You had a right to sit there and exercise your right to silence, but you took that stand and you took the law into your own hands,” Blakey said while looking directly at Madigan. “To put it bluntly, it was a nauseating display.”

Madigan gave a brief statement before Blakey delivered his sentence, in which he apologized but didn’t take direct responsibility for his crimes.

“I am truly sorry in putting the people of the state of Illinois through this. I tried to do my best to serve the people of the state of Illinois; I am not perfect,” he said to the packed courtroom. “When I look back at my life, being speaker isn’t what gives me the most pride. I am most proud of being a good husband, a good father and now a good grandfather.”

Blakey said he considered Madigan’s allocution and his age as mitigating factors before he delivered the former speaker’s sentence.

“This case is really sad, because the defendant is a dedicated public servant, apart from the crimes proven in this case,” Blakey said. “He’s also, the record indicates, a good and decent person. He had no reason to commit these crimes, but he chose to do so.”

Madigan’s attorneys said a new trial is warranted because prosecutors failed to prove Madigan’s involvement with the ComEd, and because Blakey made a series of erroneous evidentiary rulings.

Though Madigan’s motion for a new trial was denied, this filing tees the case up for further appeal to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.

McClain and other members of the so-called ComEd Four have yet to be sentenced. Their sentencing hearings are set for later this summer.

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