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Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Hundreds attend Waukegan resource fair; ‘We want people to know what we can do for them'
Of the 38 service providers participating in the second-annual Hope and Opportunity Community Resource Fair & Block Party, Commonwealth Edison utilized eight of the allotted spaces to help a large percentage of the people there. Operating out of a series of tents on Genesee Street in Waukegan, ComEd representatives helped more than 100 people make payment arrangements on their bills, and the same number of individuals began working with the company's workforce development program. Kimberly Hobson, ComEd's external affairs manager, said opportunities like the resource fair give the company the opportunity to bring its services directly to customers rather than using telephone communication for assistance. 'We're helping people with job and bill assistance,' Hobson said. 'We're right here, and they're not waiting a long time on the phone. We're bringing our services to them. We're (also) making them aware of financial assistance and workforce development to find a permanent job.' More than 300 people visited with representatives of service organizations, businesses and government offices at the second-annual Hope and Opportunity Community Resource Fair & Block Party Friday in downtown Waukegan, learning ways to improve their lives. Waukegan Township Supervisor Marc Jones was one of the primary organizers of the event, along with Mary Roberson, the CEO of Northern Illinois Community Recovery Organization. He said the number of people receiving help from ComEd is a testament to the need for the event. 'It's tremendous that such a need for an essential service was met for more than 100 members of our community,' he said. 'This is a barometer of the success and importance of this event. We will do it each year.' Hobson said the effort in Waukegan is the third such event this year for the company. She said, 'We are going to do this in every corner of our territory.' ComEd serves people throughout Illinois. While ComEd was helping people with their electric bills and finding jobs, the Digital Navigators of Lake County, part of the county's digital growth initiative, offered an opportunity to earn a free laptop computer by taking a 12-hour basic computer course. There is no cost. Rashaun Lewis, one of the digital navigators, said anyone taking the 12-hour, six-session course would receive the free laptop upon completion. Students will learn the basic operation of the machine, as well as how to use it in their everyday lives. 'Technology is an important part of people's lives in 2025,' Lewis said. 'Computers are used in most jobs today.' A year ago, the fair was held in the parking lot of Jesus Name Apostolic Church at the corner of Genesee and Lake streets. With the township office, the church and NIRCO, nearby, as well as other services within a few blocks, Jones dubbed the area the 'Corner of Hope and Opportunity.' With the help of the city of Waukegan — one of the 38 participants — Genesee was closed for the afternoon south of the Waukegan River bridge to enable organizations to have their booths in the area and allow people to walk around freely. There was music and free food. 'We want people to know about the variety of resources available,' Jones said. 'Life is unpredictable. You never know when something is going to happen, and someone is going to need a hand up.' Roberson and other people from NIRCO were educating visitors about the value of Narcan and giving a package of the medicine to those interested. She said it is a drug which reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. 'This is phenomenal,' Roberson said, referring to the growth of the event in one year. 'ComEd is here helping people. We are educating people about Narcan. We want people to know what we can do for them.' State Sen. Adriane Johnson, D-Buffalo Grove, has an office inside the township building. She said though services represented at the event are well-established, people are not necessarily aware of them. The fair made access easier. She spent most of the four hours helping constituents with needs. 'This timely community event removed barriers from accessing key resources and demonstrated the importance of cooperation and partnership with local organizations, with the shared goal of amplifying resources to ensure that everyone thrives,' Johnson said. Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham was walking through the crowd, stopping to answer questions. He said it is important for residents to know what is available when they or a loved one needs it. 'This shows people the agencies which partner with each other to offer wraparound services to help the underserved and working-class residents of Waukegan,' Cunningham said. 'This shows the spirit of our community.' Located a few tables from each other, Community Partners for Affordable Housing (CPAH) and the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) are examples of the partnerships that can form to help people. Janina Hall sat at her table telling people about CPAH. She said the organization counsels individuals and gets them ready for home ownership by educating them on what they need to do to qualify for a mortgage. They also help people find affordable housing. Bill Foltz, the outreach coordinator for YCC, said the group's mission is to help people between 16 and 24 years of age complete their education and develop the skills to earn a good living. They get skills to become plumbers, electricians, HVAC technicians and more. Foltz said youths in their program also build homes allowing young people to ply the skills they are learning under appropriate supervision. Jayden Ragin, who is part of YCC, said the group is building a house in Zion. He did now know the future owner. 'CPAH will find the owner of the home,' Ragin said.
Associated Press
a day ago
- Business
- Associated Press
Mark Herr Communications Issues Statement Regarding the Sentencing of Anne Pramaggiore
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jul 21, 2025-- Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore, the only female CEO in the company's history, who turned around a failing electric utility and turned it into one of the country's best while cutting rates four times and reducing outages to historic lows, released the following statement today through a spokesman, Mark Herr Communications: Statement We are disappointed by the sentence imposed today. It is nearly impossible to reconcile the sentence– two years in prison – with the federal Probation Department's recommendation of no jail time and probation. The sentence is even harder to fathom when the bribery charges were vacated by the Court after the Supreme Court ruled in Snyder and the Government did not seek to retry those counts. With no bribery conviction, the sentence rests solely on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act allegations. There is nothing foreign or corrupt about the facts here. In February when President Trump paused FCPA enforcement, he said the law 'has been systematically, and to a steadily increasing degree, stretched beyond proper bounds and abused in a manner that harms the interests of the United States.' That has happened here. Ms. Pramaggiore faces jail despite the documents at issue being true. Chicago is not a foreign jurisdiction. Ms. Pramaggiore, a civic leader, trailblazing electric utilities executive, the only female CEO in Commonwealth Edison's history -- and an innocent woman -- will appeal the verdict and sentence to the Seventh Circuit and, if necessary, to the Supreme Court. View source version on CONTACT: Media Mark Herr [email protected] 203-517-8957 KEYWORD: UNITED STATES NORTH AMERICA ILLINOIS INDUSTRY KEYWORD: LEGAL PROFESSIONAL SERVICES SOURCE: Mark Herr Communications Copyright Business Wire 2025. PUB: 07/21/2025 02:08 PM/DISC: 07/21/2025 02:08 PM
Business Wire
a day ago
- Business
- Business Wire
Mark Herr Communications Issues Statement Regarding the Sentencing of Anne Pramaggiore
CHICAGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Former Commonwealth Edison CEO Anne Pramaggiore, the only female CEO in the company's history, who turned around a failing electric utility and turned it into one of the country's best while cutting rates four times and reducing outages to historic lows, released the following statement today through a spokesman, Mark Herr Communications: Statement We are disappointed by the sentence imposed today. It is nearly impossible to reconcile the sentence– two years in prison – with the federal Probation Department's recommendation of no jail time and probation. The sentence is even harder to fathom when the bribery charges were vacated by the Court after the Supreme Court ruled in Snyder and the Government did not seek to retry those counts. With no bribery conviction, the sentence rests solely on the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act allegations. There is nothing foreign or corrupt about the facts here. In February when President Trump paused FCPA enforcement, he said the law 'has been systematically, and to a steadily increasing degree, stretched beyond proper bounds and abused in a manner that harms the interests of the United States.' That has happened here. Ms. Pramaggiore faces jail despite the documents at issue being true. Chicago is not a foreign jurisdiction. Ms. Pramaggiore, a civic leader, trailblazing electric utilities executive, the only female CEO in Commonwealth Edison's history -- and an innocent woman -- will appeal the verdict and sentence to the Seventh Circuit and, if necessary, to the Supreme Court.
Chicago Tribune
a day ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Once a rising corporate star, ex-ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore faces sentencing in scheme to bribe Speaker Madigan
Six years ago, Anne Pramaggiore was still a rising star in Chicago's male-dominated C-suite corporate world, the newly minted chief executive of a major Fortune 100 energy company that delivered power to millions of customers in the Chicago area and beyond. But her career went into free fall when it was revealed in 2019 that she and others at Commonwealth Edison were under investigation in an elaborate scheme to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan and win his help with the utility giant's ambitious legislative agenda in Springfield. On Monday, after years of delay, Pramaggiore's long legal saga is finally coming full circle as a judge is set to sentence her for her conviction in one of the biggest political corruption scandals in state history. Prosecutors are asking for a stiff prison term of almost 6 years and a $1.75 million fine, writing in a recent filing that despite all her success,, money and professional status, 'she made the choice to participate in a years-long conspiracy that corrupted the legislative process in Springfield' and subverted her own company's internal controls. In asking for a 70-month prison term, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Streicker, Julia Schwartz and Diane MacArthur also wrote in a court filing earlier this month that Pramaggiore lied repeatedly in her testimony during the 2023 'ComEd Four' trial. which ended in sweeping guilty verdicts for Pramaggiore and her three co-defendants. The feds said Pramaggiore's lies extended far beyond a general denial of knowledge of the scheme and involved a number of specific material matters, including whether she intentionally kept details about more than $1.3 million in subcontractor payments to Madigan allies off of ComEd's books, and whether she knew that they were doing little or no work for the company. 'Pramaggiore could have remained silent, but instead chose to try to obstruct the jury's process,' the prosecution filing stated. 'Pramaggiore's lies demonstrate a lack of integrity and candor, and her interest in prioritizing her own self-interest over the truth.' Her attorneys, meanwhile, argued for probation, writing in a court filing of their own that the conduct for which she was convicted was 'a true aberration' in an otherwise exemplary life, not only in her professional path but also in her dedication to her family and charitable works. They also submitted nearly a hundred letters from friends and supporters attesting to her good character. 'She has lost her reputation, her career, and her law license, and she faces even more potential consequences, including further enforcement actions,' Pramaggiore's legal team, headed by Scott Lassar, wrote in their 49-page filing. 'Imposing a prison sentence that takes her away from her family, friends, and community will not serve the ends of justice.' Pramaggiore and her three co-defendants — former ComEd lobbyist and longtime Madigan confidant Michael McClain, ex-ComEd executive John Hooker, and consultant and former City Club of Chicago leader Jay Doherty — were convicted on all counts in May 2023 after a two-month trial. The case was then beset by a series of delays, first due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that reset the rules for a key federal bribery statute and then again after the death of the judge who'd presided over the trial, Harry Leinenweber. After he was selected to take over the case, U.S. District Judge Manish Shah earlier this year tossed the underlying bribery counts due to the Supreme Court's decision, but kept intact the main conspiracy count and denied defense requests to delay the sentencing hearings any further. The bulk of the ComEd allegations centered on a cadre of Madigan allies who were paid a total of $1.3 million from 2011 through 2019 through allegedly do-nothing consulting contracts. Among the recipients were two former aldermen, Frank Olivo and Michael Zalewski, precinct captains Ray Nice and Edward Moody, and former state Rep. Edward Acevedo. In addition, prosecutors alleged ComEd also hired a clouted law firm run by political operative Victor Reyes, distributed numerous college internships within Madigan's 13th Ward fiefdom, and backed former McPier chief Juan Ochoa, a friend of a Madigan ally, for an $80,000-a-year seat on the utility's board of directors, the indictment alleged. In return, prosecutors alleged, Madigan used his influence over the General Assembly to help ComEd score a series of huge legislative victories that not only rescued the company from financial instability but led to record-breaking, billion-dollar profits. Among them was the 2011 smart grid bill that set a built-in formula for the rates ComEd could charge customers, avoiding battles with the Illinois Commerce Commission, according to the charges. ComEd also leaned on Madigan's office to help pass the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016, which kept the formula rate in place and also rescued two nuclear plants run by an affiliated company, Exelon Generation. Pramaggiore is the second of the ComEd Four to be sentenced. Shah handed a 1 1/2-year prison term to Hooker last week. A hearing for McClain, a retired ComEd lobbyist who doubled as Madigan's right-hand man, will be sentenced Thursday, while the fourth defendant, Doherty, is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Madigan, meanwhile, was convicted in a separate trial of an array of schemes that included the ComEd bribery payments. He was sentenced in June to seven and a half years in prison. Defense attorneys for the ComEd Four have repeatedly argued the government was seeking to criminalize legal lobbying and job recommendations that are at the heart of the state's legitimate political system. They ripped the government's star witness, former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, as a liar and opportunist who was so terrified when FBI agents confronted him in January 2019 that he flipped without even consulting a lawyer and also agreed to secretly record his friends. Marquez testified in March 2023 that the roster of 'subcontractors' hired by ComEd was curated by McClain and read like a who's who of Madigan's vaunted political operation, including two legendary precinct captains, a former assistant majority leader in the House and two former Chicago aldermen at the center of Madigan's Southwest Side base of power. Over the course of eight years, ComEd paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars, even though they had no particular expertise and ultimately did virtually no work for the utility. Some seemed to be downright incompetent, Marquez told the jury. On cross-examination, Marquez, who pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing, acknowledged there was 'no guarantee' that Madigan was going to help pass ComEd bills. But he added the company still tried to make Madigan happy because 'not doing it would cause us to be negatively looked on by' the speaker. He also admitted he initially told the FBI he didn't believe any of it was bribery. Pramaggiore's lawyers argued in their sentencing memo that she should be punished only for the remaining counts of conviction, which all have to do with falsifying ComEd's books. But prosecutors say the entire scope of the scheme is still fair game, even if the specific bribery counts were dropped — a position that Shah has so far agreed with. At Hooker's sentencing July 14, Shah said the evidence at trial showed the four co-defendants 'were jointly undertaking the quid pro quo bribery of Mr. Madigan, paying out his cronies in exchange for favorable official action.' 'The instructional error doesn't change my factual assessment,' Shah said. 'Not only could a jury reach that conclusion, I reached that conclusion based on my own review.
Chicago Tribune
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison for scheme to bribe ex-Speaker Michael Madigan
Former Commonwealth Edison lobbyist John Hooker was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for his role in an elaborate scheme to funnel $1.3 million to associates of then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for the powerful Democrat's help with the utility's legislative agenda in Springfield. In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Manish Shah told Hooker it was 'imperative to wipe away the notion' that his actions were merely lobbying a public official. 'It is important for the punishment to reflect this was corruption of consequential public policy, far-reaching legislation and legislative functions,' Shah said. He also told Hooker that he could have stopped the scheme — or at least decided not to go along with it. 'It takes courage to speak up, to say no in the face of power like Mr. Madigan's,' Shah said. 'It's easy to say yes when you have the talent and the wherewithal to play within the corrupt system. 'You had the power to stop this,' Shah said. 'To do business with corrupt power encourages it.' Hooker, 76, is the first of the so-called ComEd Four defendants to be sentenced, more than two years after their landmark trial ended in sweeping guilty verdicts. Sentencing hearings for former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and lobbyist Michael McClain, who was Madigan's top confidant, are set for next week. The fourth defendant, consultant and former City Club of Chicago head Jay Doherty, is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Madigan, meanwhile, was convicted in a separate trial of an array of schemes that included the ComEd bribery payments. He was sentenced earlier this month to 7 1/2 years in prison. Federal prosecutors had asked for nearly five years in prison for Hooker. His attorneys requested just a year of probation, citing their client's his age, his lack of criminal history and saying there was zero risk he would commit a crime again. They also submitted dozens of character letters from people of all walks of life attesting to Hooker's history of generosity and selflessness. But in asking for a 56-month prison term, prosecutors wrote that Hooker — a top internal lobbyist at ComEd known for his quippy 'Hookerisms' such as: 'That which is understood need not be mentioned' — was instrumental in devising the plan to funnel the payments to ghost 'subcontractors' who were actually cronies in the 13th Ward organization Madigan ran. Hooker was even captured on an FBI wiretap bragging about the arrangement with McClain. 'We came up with this plan and between him, our friend, and, uh, Tim (Mapes), and the alderman (Frank Olivo), they thought it was great,' Hooker told McClain on the recording. 'Hooker's criminal conduct, designed to give ComEd an improper 'leg up' in its legislation, is extremely serious, as he deceived internal auditors, rate payers and shareholders and abused the highest levels of state government,' wrote Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Streicker, Diane MacArthur and Julia Schwartz in their 52-page filing. Prosecutors also said Hooker repeatedly perjured himself when he testified in his own defense at trial, including when he told the jury that he hired Madigan's 13th Ward associates for their 'value' to ComEd. 'They had no relevant experience and were not needed by the company,' the prosecution memo stated. 'Instead, their true 'value' was to Madigan.' Hooker and his three co-defendants were convicted on all counts in May 2023 after a two-month trial. Shah later tossed some of those counts due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year, but denied defense requests to delay the sentencing hearings any further. In addition to the scheme to pay Madigan-related subcontractors, prosecutors alleged ComEd also hired a clouted law firm run by political operative Victor Reyes, distributed numerous college internships within Madigan's 13th Ward fiefdom, and backed former McPier chief Juan Ochoa, the friend of a Madigan ally, for an $80,000-a-year seat on the utility's board of directors, the indictment alleged. In return, prosecutors alleged, Madigan used his influence over the General Assembly to help ComEd score a series of huge legislative victories that not only rescued the company from financial instability but led to record-breaking, billion-dollar profits. Among them was the 2011 smart grid bill that set a built-in formula for the rates ComEd could charge customers, avoiding battles with the Illinois Commerce Commission, according to the charges. ComEd also leaned on Madigan's office to help pass the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016, which kept the formula rate in place and also rescued two nuclear plants run by an affiliated company, Exelon Generation. In her 71-page sentencing filing, Hooker's attorney, Jacqueline Jacobson, chronicled his inspirational life story, rising from the violence and poverty of Chicago's West Side and later battling the 'pervasive discrimination of corporate America in the 1960s' to become a top executive at a Fortune 500 utility. Jacobson also downplayed the seriousness of Hooker's offense, writing that he 'faces jail for books and records violations that occurred five years after he retired from ComEd, for which he received no benefit.' 'From acting as a surrogate father, to serving as a role model, to helping neighbors and friends, John has dedicated his life to changing people's lives for the better,' the defense memo stated. 'The guilty verdict is the antithesis to an otherwise praiseworthy life filled with repeated and continuous good deeds, selflessness, and ethical conduct.' At trial, defense attorneys argued repeatedly that the government is seeking to criminalize legal lobbying and job recommendations that are at the heart of the state's legitimate political system. They ripped the government's star witness, former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, as a liar and opportunist who was so terrified when FBI agents confronted him in January 2019 that he flipped without even consulting a lawyer and agreed to secretly record his friends. Marquez testified in March 2023 that the roster of 'subcontractors' hired by ComEd was curated by McClain and read like a who's who of Madigan's vaunted political operation, including two legendary precinct captains, a former assistant majority leader in the House and two former Chicago aldermen at the center of Madigan's Southwest Side base of power. Over the course of eight years, ComEd paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars, even though they had no particular expertise and ultimately did virtually no work for the utility. Some seemed to be downright incompetent, Marquez told the jury. On cross-examination, Marquez, who pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing, acknowledged that there was 'no guarantee' that Madigan was going to help pass ComEd bills, but added that the company still tried to make him happy because 'not doing it would cause us to be negatively looked on by' the speaker. He also admitted that he initially told the FBI he didn't believe any of it was bribery. 'I know that they were brought on as a favor to Michael Madigan,' Marquez testified on direct examination. 'For Madigan to see ComEd positively. So that he could perhaps be helpful for our legislative agenda in Springfield.' Hooker, meanwhile, took a huge risk and testified in his own defense. Under questioning by McClain's attorney, Patrick Cotter, Hooker agreed that the scheme as alleged by prosecutors sounded preposterous. 'In all your years of experience, did you ever think for one minute that Mike Madigan would risk his speakership and his power to get a few more people some jobs at ComEd?' Cotter asked, his voice rising to a shout. 'Some summer interns? … Anybody?' 'No, I did not,' Hooker answered. 'It's a crazy idea, isn't it?' Cotter shot back. 'It's a bad idea,' Hooker agreed. Hooker was also taken through transcripts, read in court line by line, of the wiretapped recordings at the center of the case, explaining what he meant down to the word. He was even at one point asked to explain why he laughed at certain points in the calls. McClain, in one of the recordings, for instance, told Hooker: 'We had to hire these guys because Mike Madigan came to us. It's that simple.' Hooker testified he didn't believe it was true that they 'had' to hire anyone. 'To me, that's just me and McClain joshing around,' he said. In their memo Monday, prosecutors singled out that statement Hooker made in court and said it was an obvious lie. 'Hooker verbally agreed with (McClain) when he thought nobody was listening,' prosecutors wrote. 'His agreement is consistent with the behavior of the conspirators who continued to advocate for the payment of the subcontractors to prevent Madigan from taking retributive action against ComEd.' Hooker's lawyers denied that he lied about that or anything else, arguing in their memo that he should not be punished for exercising his constitutional right to testify and that failing to recall past events accurately is not enough to prove perjury. 'The obstruction of justice enhancement requires a finding of willfulness, not confusion, mistake, or faulty memory,' Jacobson wrote.
