Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan guilty of bribery, but not racketeering
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Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been found guilty of bribery and wire fraud, but the jury deadlocked on several other charges, including racketeering, in a decision announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: Madigan's trial was a litmus test for how politics is done in Illinois.
- The jury's decision rebukes the defense's argument Madigan and co-defendant Mike McClain were doing hard-nosed politics as usual.
Catch up quick: Madigan was charged with 23 federal counts of corruption in 2022, including bribery, quid pro quo and steering state business to his legal firms to enrich himself.
- The jury found him guilty on 10 counts and not guilty on seven counts. It did not decide on six other counts involving Madigan and McClain, raising the possibility of a retrial.
The big picture: The jury reached a verdict on the 11th day of deliberations, which is longer than in other recent high-profile corruption trials, including former Alderman Ed Burke and the "ComEd Four." Both of those juries returned with convictions.
Zoom in: The jury could not decide whether Madigan and McClain ran a secret system that placed political cronies at private companies like AT&T and ComEd in exchange for favorable legislation.
- The "ComEd Four" were found guilty of corruption, while the AT&T Illinois CEO's trial ended in a hung jury.
- ComEd and AT&T executives were charged with conspiring to keep the speaker happy, which Madigan and McClain denied directing.
The intrigue: The jury heard hours of secretly recorded audio from conversations between former Ald. Danny Solis and Madigan.
- Madigan was heard on tape asking Solis to arrange a meeting between a developer and Madigan's law firm for tax work.
- The prosecution based much of their case on those recordings.
- Solis wore a wire to obtain those recordings and testified during the trial as part of a plea deal to avoid federal corruption charges.
Between the lines: Madigan took the stand during the trial to defend his practices, explaining to the jury how he grew up in the shadow of an abusive father while justifying why he doesn't have a phone. "I wanted to end my day," Madigan said during testimony.
What we're watching: Whether the U.S. Attorney's office will pursue a retrial for the counts that the jury could not agree on.
Editor's note: This is a developing story.