November 06, 2024
A former Commonwealth Edison executive testified Wednesday that several subcontractors the utility kept on the payroll for years did little to no work and were hired as a favor for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, bolstered by a series of recordings he captured while cooperating with the government.
October 31, 2024
An ex-lobbyist on trial alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan made arrangements for a political operative that Madigan fired to receive monthly payments while he was unemployed, suggesting he enter into contracts with loyal lobbyists and write up reports on legislators "in case the IRS checks this out," a federal jury heard Thursday.
October 29, 2024
A Jenner & Block LLP attorney and former Commonwealth Edison general counsel testified Tuesday that he found it "strange" to read ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was interested in the granular details of the utility's negotiations with Chicago law firm Reyes Kurson. Madigan's counsel, however, appeared to suggest a confidant and co-defendant had name-dropped the speaker in 2016 without actually talking to him.
October 22, 2024
Counsel for an ex-lobbyist standing trial on public corruption charges alongside former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan told an Illinois federal jury Tuesday that the government is treating legal lobbying activity as bribery, and that his client did "100% legal favors" for Madigan to establish trust and maintain access to the powerful politician.
October 21, 2024
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his loyal right hand Michael McClain engaged in an eight-year "campaign of bribery," leveraging his public office and leadership roles to steer business to Madigan's property tax law firm, enrich his allies with do-nothing jobs and maintain his considerable political power, prosecutors told an Illinois federal jury Monday.
October 07, 2024
The man who was once Illinois' most influential politician heads to Chicago federal court this week to stand trial on charges that he led a criminal enterprise for nearly a decade, amassing power and benefits for himself, his law firm and his allies. The stakes for prosecutors are higher than ever as they face the elected official at the center of their Illinois corruption probe.
October 02, 2024
An Illinois federal judge on Wednesday declined to dismiss bribery charges against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan after the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling limiting the reach of a bribery statute that once criminalized gratuities, while also refusing to sever his case from his co-defendant's.
August 29, 2024
Attorneys for ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his co-defendant on Thursday grilled a potential expert witness the government wants to call at their forthcoming racketeering trial, attempting to cast doubts on his knowledge of how Madigan's ward operated and highlighting his public opposition to Chicago's Democratic establishment.
August 14, 2024
Prosecutors told an Illinois federal judge on Tuesday that former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and confidant Michael McClain should be tried together this fall, saying a joint proceeding is proper for alleged co-conspirators in a criminal enterprise and they should not be allowed to shift blame to one another at individual trials.
July 30, 2024
Prosecutors accusing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan of corruption said Monday night his case is unaffected by the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling limiting the reach of a bribery statute that once criminalized gratuities, saying the government's allegations do not rely on gratuities, so "this dog will not hunt."