Prison looms for Illinois’ former ‘man in charge’ Madigan

(The Center Square) – Although former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was expected to pay a $2.5 million fine quickly, his time in prison won’t begin until at least October.

Judge John Robert Blakey ordered Madigan to immediately pay the $2.5 million, which was the maximum statutory fine the judge was allowed to impose.

Madigan’s 90-month prison sentence is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. on Oct. 13. The ex-speaker’s defense attorneys suggested in court last Friday they would file a motion to appeal.

U.S. government attorneys had recommended a 12.5-year prison sentence and a $1.5 million fine after Madigan was convicted Feb. 12 on 10 counts of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and use of a facility to promote unlawful activity. Four of the counts were related to ComEd where prosecutors alleged that the utility gave no-work or little-work jobs and contract work to Madigan’s allies in exchange for the passage of state legislation to benefit ComEd. The other six counts were related to a ruse federal investigators arranged with former Chicago Alderman and cooperating witness Daniel Solis in which Madigan agreed to arrange a state board seat for Solis in exchange for real-estate law business Solis would direct to Madigan’s firm.

Prosecutors previously sought $3.1 million from Madigan in a forfeiture judgment but dropped the request in late April.

Darryl A. Goldberg, a criminal defense lawyer with a practice focused on federal cases, suggested to The Center Square that, because Madigan did not directly receive the benefits related to his convictions on the ComEd and state board-related counts, the forfeiture case might have been difficult to prove.

Andrew S. Boutros, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, credited the team of people who worked on the decade-long case.

“It was the grit and determination of our team of prosecutors and law enforcement agents, led by our former colleague, Amarjeet S. Bhachu, who served as the Chief of the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s Public Corruption and Organized Crime Section until earlier this year, that allowed this case to reach a jury and send a clear message that the criminal conduct by former Speaker Madigan was unacceptable. I couldn’t be prouder of the strong commitment of our law enforcement partners at the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation,” Boutros said in a statement.

Brian Gaines, Honorable W. Russell Arrington Professor in State Politics at the University of Illinois, said Madigan was one of a kind when it came to the breadth of his power.

“Nobody ever expected him to run for Senate or governor. He didn’t want anything else. You can find isolated individuals who had a huge amount of power in some chamber somewhere, but nobody compares to Madigan in the scope,” Gaines told The Center Square. “Most people I know, in the end, say, ‘I think he just wanted power.’ He was all about power.”

The professor said Madigan remained enigmatic to him.

“I don’t think I know the answer to what really made him tick beyond he liked being the man in charge in Illinois, and he was,” Gaines concluded.

Madigan, D-Chicago, served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He was speaker for more than 35 years and chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois for 23 years.

Madigan explained the majority party’s role in state government during a 1984 interview posted by C-Span.

“My view is that, as the Democratic majority, as the governing party in the Illinois legislature, that we are the party of responsibility. That we should identify the problems of the state and then stand up and offer legislative solutions to those problems,” Madigan said during the interview.

Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, said Madigan’s sentencing was a stark and shameful reminder of the corruption that has plagued Illinois government for far too long.

“Justice was served – but the damage to public trust runs deep. Sentences like this matter. They are designed to deter bad behavior and prove that no one is above the law. But deterrence isn’t enough – we need action. That means passing real, enforceable reforms – not more political theater. I’m calling on Democrats to stop the stall tactics and join us in advancing common-sense, bipartisan ethics reforms. The people of Illinois deserve better than backroom deals and broken trust,” McCombie said in a statement.

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