Ex-Illinois Speaker Mike Madigan's attorneys ask for no prison time for bribery conviction
The Brief
Lawyers for ex-Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan are asking that he not be sent to prison for his bribery conviction.
Federal prosecutors recommended a prison sentence of more than 12 years and a $15 million fine.
Earlier this year, a jury found Madigan guilty on 10 of 23 counts, including bribery and wire fraud.
CHICAGO - Attorneys for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan are asking that he not be given a prison sentence after he was convicted of bribery and conspiracy earlier this year.
What we know
Federal prosecutors have already called for sentencing Madigan to more than 12 years in prison, which his lawyers called "draconian," in a new court filing.
Madigan's attorneys argued it would essentially be a life sentence for the 83-year-old.
Instead, they're asking that Madigan be sentenced to five years' probation, including one year of home detention, community service, and a "reasonable" fine.
Prosecutors said they're also seeking a $15 million fine from Madigan.
"Madigan was in a special position of trust and responsibility to the public. Yet he deprived all residents of Illinois of honest government and eroded the public's trust," prosecutors wrote in their memo."
Earlier this year, a jury found Madigan guilty on 10 of 23 counts, including bribery and wire fraud.
The former speaker, arguably the most powerful politician in Illinois at one point, was accused of using his role leading the state House and heading the state Democratic Party to enrich himself and his allies by securing jobs, contracts, and other financial benefits.
What's next
Madigan's sentencing is scheduled for this Friday.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Court document reveals details in Chicago man's alleged sexual abuse of teen girl at chiropractor's office
The Brief Victor Reynolds, 36, is charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a 17-year-old girl. The teen says Reynolds touched her inappropriately during a massage at a Glenview clinic. Reynolds allegedly harassed the teen by phone for months before confronting her in person. COOK COUNTY — A Chicago man is accused of inappropriately touching a teenage girl during a massage at a northwest suburban chiropractor's office and harassing her by phone for months. What we know Victor Reynolds, 36, was charged with aggravated criminal sexual abuse after a 17-year-old girl told police he inappropriately touched her during a chiropractic massage at ChiroMend Natural Health Center in Glenview on April 28. The teen, who had been receiving regular chiropractic treatment, reported that while she was lying on her stomach, Reynolds rubbed her buttocks with his hands, making skin-to-skin contact. When she flipped onto her back at his request, she said he continued massaging her legs and then moved his hands under her underwear, touching the top of her vagina with his fingers. According to prosecutors, this wasn't the first time Reynolds touched her buttocks during sessions. Prosecutors say Reynolds also harassed the teen by phone between January and May, calling her several times every day from blocked or unknown numbers. He never revealed his identity over the phone. At first, he didn't speak and just breathed heavily, according to prosecutors. However, he eventually told her "you know who this is." At some point, the calls allegedly escalated to him making lewd comments and propositions before he finally asked her to meet at a local train station where he confronted her in person. After the April massage incident, the teen told someone about what had happened. Within a week, she and that person reported it to social workers at her high school and her mother, and then to police. She later identified Reynolds during a forensic interview and picked him out of a photo lineup. Social workers and the person she confided in also gave statements to authorities that matched the girl's account. Reynolds was arrested last week, on Wednesday. He asked for a lawyer and did not make any statements to police. Dig deeper Authorities said Reynolds has no license to practice massage therapy in Illinois and never held one. He also has a history of similar behavior. In 2018, he allegedly touched a 59-year-old woman's breasts and twisted her nipples while working at another chiropractic clinic. In 2019, he was accused of rubbing a 28-year-old woman's vagina with his fingers while working as a contract masseur. At that point, he was charged in both incidents and convicted of battery in connection with the 2019 case. What's next Reynolds, who is now charged with a Class 1 felony, is being held at the Cook County Jail. He appeared in court on Thursday and is due back on July 3 in Skokie. The Source The information in this article was obtained from a court document and provided by the Glenview Police Department.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
60-year-old pedestrian killed in suspected DUI crash
BELLEVILLE, Ill. – The Illinois State Police Accident Reconstruction Unit is working with the Belleville Police Department to investigate a suspected DUI crash last week that claimed the life of a pedestrian. According to a Belleville police spokesperson, the crash happened just before 8:30 p.m. on Friday, June 6, in the 1200 block of Centreville Avenue. Officers responded to a report of a pedestrian struck by a vehicle. Police arrived at the scene to find a 60-year-old man lying on the roadway. He'd suffered serious injuries and was unconscious. The man was taken to the hospital, where he later died of his injuries. The victim's name was not released. The driver, a 61-year-old man, remained at the scene of the crash. He was driving a 1998 Chevrolet S-10. Police said the driver was taken into custody on suspicion of driving under the influence but was later released from custody pending further investigation. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
New details emerge in Officer Krystal Rivera's mistaken fatal shooting by her partner as man charged in connection with case is ordered detained
Moments before her death Thursday night, Chicago police Officer Krystal Rivera and her partner were rushing after a person they'd just attempted to stop on suspicion of having a weapon when that suspect ran into an apartment building located at 8210 S. Drexel Blvd., prosecutors said Sunday. Inside one of the building's apartments, Assistant State's Attorney Joell Bisceliga said Rivera and her partner found Adrian Rucker, 25, standing behind a sofa with an AR-style pistol. The person they'd originally been chasing jumped over a couch and went down a hallway inside the apartment, Bisceglia said, while Rucker allegedly pointed the gun at Rivera's partner, who was standing in the doorway. Rivera's partner fired, Bisceglia said, but mistakenly hit Rivera as she pursued the original suspect. She died of a single gunshot wound to the back, the first Chicago police officer to die on-duty this year. Authorities on Saturday charged Rucker with armed violence, use of a firearm without a firearm owner's identification card, possession of a fake ID and drug possession. Cook County Judge Shauna Boliker on Sunday ordered Rucker, a Freeport resident with six previously issued arrest warrants, held pending trial. Rucker; a 26-year-old woman from Freeport; and the original suspect the officers had been chasing all got out of the apartment moments after the shooting, Bisceglia said. Rucker and the woman were both arrested about 20 minutes later, in the gated yard of a building at 8215 S. Maryland Ave. Rucker appeared in court wearing a blue button-up shirt with his hands cuffed behind his back while family members of Rivera sat huddled together in one of the first rows in Courtroom 100, marked 'police officers only.' Dozens of other uniformed beat officers, sergeants and department members crowded into the rows behind them. Bisceglia said he appeared pointing the rifle both on Rivera's partner's body-worn camera and on the apartment's internal surveillance camera, and that the officer who accidentally shot Rivera identified him in a photo array as the person who had pointed the rifle at him. The first suspect 'made good on his escape,' Bisceglia said. A Police Department representative declined to comment on whether that person had since been arrested, only saying that detectives continued to investigate the case. Officers searching the apartment found three guns, several magazines and several rounds of ammunition in the apartment, court records show. Those weapons included an AR-style pistol with an empty 60-round drum magazine, a Glock handgun and a black and tan AR-style pistol, Bisceglia said. Police also found a scale and numerous containers of suspected crack cocaine, heroin and marijuana, Bisceglia said. An open safe in the apartment held suspected heroin, she said, and about 20 fake ID cards that showed Rucker's picture from different states, including California and Ohio, were found in a kitchen cabinet. Authorities had previously issued six arrest warrants for Rucker. According to police sources, those warrants are for criminal damage to property, theft under $500, and two alleged instances of domestic battery, all out of Stephenson County in northwestern Illinois. He also had a warrant for aggravated identity theft out of northwest suburban Rolling Meadows and another for possession of fake identification out of Winnebago County, court records show. The woman had one active warrant, according to police sources. According to Cook County Court records, Rucker was first arrested in April 2024 for alleged aggravated identity theft in Rolling Meadows. He was released pending trial, records show, but failed to appear for a June court date and Judge Ellen Beth Mandeltort issued an arrest warrant in July 2024. Assistant Public Defender Joseph Stachler pointed out that the court had not yet received the body-worn camera footage or surveillance tape that anchored much of the state's attorney's proffer, and asked that Rucker be released pending trial to live with his mother and two brothers. Boliker ordered him held, citing his past criminal convictions for domestic violence, disorderly conduct and battery as well as past failures to appear for court. Rucker's next appearance is set for Thursday. The woman who was arrested with Rucker has not been charged with anything related to Rivera's death, but appeared in Cook County bond court Saturday regarding her arrest warrant out of Stephenson County, court records show. Her next court date is scheduled for Thursday. Rivera's death brought a wave of support messages from city leaders last week. Funeral information for her had not been released Sunday. ____
