Ex-Illinois Speaker Madigan ‘was not confused' taking part in alleged bribery scheme, prosecutor says with jury on verge of deliberating
CHICAGO — Early in their final pitch to jurors on Wednesday, prosecutors displayed a screenshot from an undercover video: Michael Madigan, then the powerful speaker of the Illinois House, leaning forward with his hand out.
That image, secretly recorded by alderman-turned-FBI mole Daniel Solis, is surely the portrait of Madigan that prosecutors hope jurors will take back with them to deliberations – a politician laser-focused on what he could get for himself.
'Mr. Solis told Mr. Madigan that law business be sent to his firm in return for either Mr. Solis taking official action or Mr. Madigan taking official action. In exchange for those things,' Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu told jurors Wednesday.
'Mr. Madigan understood what Mr. Solis was saying. He was not confused.'
Bhachu also reminded jurors of the five Madigan allies who got cushy subcontracts from ComEd and AT&T Illinois for doing little or no work. Madigan and his co-defendant Michael McClain are accused of engaging in a bribery scheme to get their associates that money in exchange for Madigan's support of the companies' legislative agendas.
Bhachu scoffed at Madigan's testimony that he had no idea they weren't working.
'You did not only see lies during the course of this trial, you heard them as well, and you heard them right from the witness stand from this man right here,' Bhachu said, pointing to Madigan at the defense table.
'In fact, he'd had a conversation with Mr. McClain where Mr. McClain suggested to him somebody wasn't really doing any work,' the prosecutor said. 'And his response? 'Some of these guys have made out like bandits, Mike.''
'And you heard him laugh,' Bhachu continued. 'In comparison to the purported anger he displayed on direct examination.'
Bhachu's rebuttal Wednesday morning began the sixth day of closing arguments, which have included lengthy presentations from all three teams of lawyers. Jurors are slated to start deliberating shortly after Bhachu's remarks wrap up.
The trial has lasted nearly four months, far past the initial estimates. The case represents the pinnacle of a lengthy federal corruption investigation that has already resulted in convictions of several other Madigan-adjacent figures over the past few years. Madigan, however, is inarguably the biggest target.
The evidence has included more than 150 wiretapped conversations and secretly video-recorded meetings that gave jurors a behind-the-scenes look at evidence behind some of the marquee allegations in the indictment.
Among them: meetings with developers at Madigan's law firm and a separate alleged scheme by ComEd to funnel do-nothing subcontractor payments to Madigan associates, allegedly to enlist the speaker's support for the utility's legislative agenda.
Madigan, 82, a Southwest Side Democrat, and McClain, 77, a longtime lobbyist from downstate Quincy, are charged in a 23-count indictment alleging that Madigan's vaunted state and political operations were run like a criminal enterprise to increase his power and enrich himself and his associates.
In addition to alleging bribery schemes involving ComEd and AT&T Illinois, the indictment accuses Madigan of pressuring real estate developers into hiring Madigan's private law firm to do tax appeal work and offering to help Solis get a lucrative state board position in exchange for bringing developers to him.
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