Longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history given 7 1/2 years in federal corruption case

Illinois' former Speaker of the House Michael Madigan speaks during a committee hearing Thursday, Feb. 25, 2021, in Chicago. (Ashlee Rezin Garcia/Chicago Sun-Times via AP, File)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — The stunning downward spiral of Michael Madigan’s political career ended Friday with a 7 1/2-year prison sentence and a US$2.5 million fine for the former Illinois House speaker and the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history after he was convicted of trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies.

U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey sentenced the 83-year-old in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Nicknamed the “Velvet Hammer” for his quiet but hard-nosed style, Madigan was convicted in February on 10 of 23 counts in a remarkable corruption trial that lasted four months. The case churned through 60 witnesses and mountains of documents, photographs and taped conversations.

Federal prosecutors sought a 12 1/2-year prison term. Madigan’s attorneys wanted probation, contending the government’s sentence would “condemn an 83-year-old man to die behind bars for crimes that enriched him not one penny.”

During a legislative career that spanned a half-century, Madigan served nearly four decades as speaker, the longest on record for a U.S. legislator. Combined with more than 20 years as chairperson of the Illinois Democratic Party, he set much of the state’s political agenda while handpicking candidates for political office. More often than not, he also controlled political mapmaking, drawing lines to favor his party.

Meanwhile, prosecutors said, the Chicago Democrat built a private legal career that allowed him to amass a net worth of $40 million.

Madigan was convicted on 10 counts of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud and other charges for ensuring approval of legislation favorable to utility giant ComEd in exchange for kickbacks and jobs and contracts for loyalists, including a Chicago alderman seeking a paid job on a state board after retiring from government.

The jury deadlocked on six counts, including an overarching racketeering conspiracy charge, and acquitted him on seven others.

“Madigan’s criminal activity spanned nearly a decade and was particularly egregious because it involved efforts to enrich himself - both by maintaining his political power by securing do-nothing jobs for his political allies and by attempting to line his own pockets with legal business,” prosecutors wrote in a court filing. “In so doing, Madigan served his own personal interests and not the interests of Illinoisans.”

Defence lawyers had called the government’s recommended sentence “draconian” and, given Madigan’s age, a life sentence. They asked Blakey to consider the totality of Madigan’s life and work and the need to care for his wife in requesting a sentence of five years’ probation, with one year of home confinement, a requirement to perform community service and a “reasonable fine.”

In a video submitted to the court, Madigan’s wife, Shirley, asks for a sentence of probation, explaining that Madigan is her caregiver and she would have to seek outside help if he were to be imprisoned. And, she says, “I’m a part of him.”

“There’s some days I keep him going,” Shirley Madigan says on the video. “He keeps me going sometimes, too, but I think that the impact that I have on him has been much, much larger.”

The court received more than 200 letters of support for Madigan, many from constituents, friends, leaders of nonprofits and other organizations that interact with the state. Some noted asking him for help just once. Most lauded him for dedication, integrity or a personal touch.

“Mike Madigan is a good man who has selflessly done an exceptional amount of good for others,” his lawyers wrote in a separate filing. “He is widely respected for his dedication to honesty and integrity.”

Tried alongside Madigan was his former legislative colleague and longtime confidant, Michael McClain. The jury couldn’t reach a decision on any of the six counts against McClain. He was convicted, though, in a separate trial over the ComEd conspiracy last year.

Article by John O’connor.