Michael Madigan trial: Deliberations begin in high-profile corruption case
CHICAGO - A federal jury began deliberations Wednesday afternoon in the trial of Michael Madigan, the former Illinois House speaker charged with several counts of corruption, bribery and racketeering.
The historic 12-week case involved more than 150 witnesses and included Madigan taking the stand to testify in his own defense.
Madigan is charged in a 23-count indictment for crimes including bribery, racketeering and wire fraud. Prosecutors allege he exploited his influence not only as speaker but also as head of the Democratic Party of Illinois for personal gain and to amass even more power. He also allegedly had private tax work illegally steered to his law firm.
Longtime ally Michael McClain is a co-defendant in Madigan's corruption trial.
Deliberations could take several days, as the jury will be tasked with examining 23 counts, ranging from racketeering to bribery, with potential implications for how Illinois politics operates moving forward.
The prosecution's case
What they're saying:
Prosecutors have their case against Madigan on two keywords: power and profit.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julie Schwartz opened the government’s closing arguments by displaying those words to the jury, arguing they encapsulate Madigan’s alleged actions over decades.
"Michael Madigan and Michael McClain conspired to enhance Madigan's power and line Madigan's pockets," Schwartz told jurors, accusing Madigan of abusing his authority to control legislation and benefit financially.
At the core of the case are allegations that Madigan accepted bribes from ComEd, which prosecutors say included hiring his political allies for no-show jobs worth nearly $5 million in exchange for passing favorable legislation.
Schwartz called ComEd Madigan’s "personal piggy bank" during the closing argument, emphasizing the extent of the alleged corruption.
Madigan testifies in his defense
The other side:
Defense attorneys have painted Madigan as a devoted public servant, calling him "incorruptible."
Madigan, who "adamantly" denied wrongdoing in the past, took the witness stand in his defense.
"When people asked me for help, if possible, I tried to help them," said Madigan, who wore a grey suit and looked directly at jurors as he spoke.
His defense attorney asked a series of questions, including whether he ever traded public office for private gain or accepted things of value in exchange for a promise to take official action. Each time Madigan answered, "No."
He spent time talking about his first jobs working for the city, including on a garbage truck. Madigan described meeting his wife and raising kids. One of his children, former Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan, sat in the packed courtroom during his testimoney
Defense attorneys sought to humanize the speaker, calling him "Mike" during questioning.
Madigan described a hardscrabble life growing up in the middle-class Chicago neighborhood near Midway International Airport and told stories about having an angry alcoholic father and having little say in which schools he could attend or jobs he could work. The atmosphere was far from "nurturing" he said.
"In that house my parents never told me that they loved me," he said. "They never embraced. They never hugged."
Defense pins blame on former alderman
Dig deeper:
Madigan defense attorney Dan Collins focused on discrediting the federal government’s key witness, former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis, who secretly recorded conversations with Madigan as part of his cooperation agreement with prosecutors.
Collins described Solis as "a malignant tumor at the heart of this case," accusing him of being untrustworthy and self-serving. "Solis is a stage actor… taking direction from the government."
"Mike only knew one side," Collins said, suggesting Madigan was unaware of Solis’ alleged criminal behavior, including shaking down developers for personal gain.
"There were two Danny Solis’," Collins told the jury. "(Mike) didn’t know how Solis was shaking down developers to get (erectile dysfunction) pills. You cannot trust Danny Solis. He’s got his own agenda and he's sly as a fox."
The defense also denied that Madigan traded legislation for favors, arguing that any no-work contracts were not bribes but rather instances of political recommendations unrelated to official actions.
"The fact that some of them did not work is aggravating… But they’re not part of a bribe. Mike did not recommend them in return for an official action," Collins said.
Collins also questioned McClain’s role, portraying him as using his relationship with Madigan to enhance his own status, mockingly referring to him as "Mr. Important."
Collins ended his closing argument by urging jurors to keep an open mind when they begin deliberations.
"Remember, just because the government said it, does not make it so. It’s your job to be the wall and hold them to that burden," Collins said.
Madigan's fall from power
The backstory:
Madigan, 82, served for 50 years in the state legislature representing a district on the Southwest Side of Chicago. He held the position of speaker for all but two years between 1983 and 2021, when he was forced out by fellow Democrats amid the federal investigation that ultimately led to his corruption trial. He also resigned his seat in the House in 2021.
He was the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history.
Federal prosecutors announced the federal indictment of Madigan in March 2022.
Madigan also served as chair of the Democratic Party of Illinois from 1988 until he resigned that post in 2021. As chair of the party, Madigan had influence over where the party would allocate its resources for state and local elections.
Illinois Republicans routinely cast Madigan as a kingmaker and attempted to tie many Democratic candidates to him.
During much of his political career, Madigan also worked at his private law practice as a property tax attorney.
The Source: The information in this story came from our previous reporting and The Associated Press.