Mike Madigan jury foreman calls case 'government overreach'

CHICAGO - The foreman of the jury that convicted former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan on 10 counts says the case involved "government overreach" and that the evidence wasn’t as solid as it seemed.

In an interview with FOX 32 Chicago, Tim Nessner said the jurors struggled to reach their verdicts, ultimately convicting Madigan on 10 counts, acquitting him and co-defendant Mike McClain on seven, and failing to reach a verdict on 12 other counts.

What we know:

Nessner led the jury through 11 days of deliberation. He said the panel was exhausted on the eve of the verdict, leading them to break for the night before returning the next morning to finalize their decisions.

According to Nessner, the jury leaned toward acquittal on many charges where they ultimately couldn’t reach a verdict, including a racketeering count. He expressed skepticism about the evidence.

"There was certainly a possibility there was something dirty going on, but I didn’t see the evidence to really get me over that hill."

Nessner noted that some charges, particularly those related to Madigan’s recommendation of government mole Danny Solis for a state board position, were easier for the jury to agree on.

"There was overwhelming evidence that Solis was a dirty operator, and Madigan should’ve been aware of that. The mere entertaining him for a state board was a disservice to Illinois. But I didn’t feel great about voting a guilty verdict on that. We had to do it based on the jury instructions given to us and how the law was interpreted," Nessner said.

What they're saying:

Despite the 10 convictions, Nessner expressed conflicted feelings about the fairness of the trial.

"I think it’s unfortunate," he said. "It’s a scenario of overreach in my mind. That old saying, if you throw enough things against the wall, something will stick—and that seems to be the case here. Sometimes people do illegal things. I never said they were even bad things. In some ways, Madigan seemed to be a victim of being brought up in the old patronage system."

What's next:

Madigan and his legal team are likely to pursue appeals.