The epic federal racketeering conspiracy trial of former Illinois Home Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain is lastly earlier than the jury.
To get to this stage, prosecutors performed practically 150 secretly recorded conversations all through the trial — many gathered by both secret wiretaps or by a authorities mole, former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis, whom Madigan’s attorneys referred to as a “malignant tumor on the coronary heart of this case.”
One of the vital damaging items of proof prosecutors offered to jurors got here from an August 2018 wiretap by which the FBI was secretly listening to Madigan and McClain. The surveillance yielded a virtually two-minute cellphone name. Protection attorneys fought to dam jurors from listening to this tape however finally misplaced that battle.
MADIGAN: Mm-hm. (Laughs.)
McCLAIN: Properly, if, when you keep in mind, uh—
MADIGAN: A few of these guys have made out like bandits, Mike.
McCLAIN: Oh my God, (coughs) for little or no work too.
MADIGAN: Yeah.
Prosecutors mentioned this change confirmed how the 2 have been allegedly conscious that folks whom they pressured Commonwealth Edison to rent did little to no work, for a whole bunch of hundreds of {dollars}, whereas the utility had laws pending. Madigan’s protection attorneys mentioned the federal government is misconstruing that dialog.
However that’s just one side of the landmark case.
Whereas the feds have been eavesdropping on McClain’s calls, in addition they had gained cooperation from Solis, who produced among the trial’s most notable proof. Prosecutors described Solis of their closing arguments as a “strolling microphone.”
He filmed and recorded Madigan, asking to satisfy builders earlier than Solis’ zoning committee — a venue they needed to clear to ensure that their tasks to maneuver ahead. Madigan needed these builders to make use of his regulation agency for profitable property tax enchantment work related to their tasks.
SOLIS: So, I’ll meet with them subsequent week on Thursday, after which I’m gonna arrange a gathering with you and them.
MADIGAN: Good.
SOLIS: And I believe they—
MADIGAN: Nice.
SOLIS: —beneath, I, I believe they perceive how this works, you already know, the quid quo, the quid professional quo.
MADIGAN: Yeah, okay.
At one level later, Madigan quietly advised Solis by no means to make use of that phrase — “quid professional quo” — once more.
However it didn’t cease Madigan from turning to Solis time and again for extra conferences with builders.
On the FBI’s urging, Solis then moved to capitalize on the favors he was doing for the then-speaker. Solis requested Madigan to assist him land a high-paying submit on considered one of two state boards.
SOLIS: —you’ve been excellent to me.
MADIGAN: Yeah.
SOLIS: And, and I’m gonna provide help to.
MADIGAN: Don’t. Don’t fear about it.
SOLIS: Okay.
MADIGAN: These are the 2 stuff you’re concerned about.
SOLIS: Sure.
MADIGAN: Okay. Fantastic.
SOLIS: Sure. Ah—
MADIGAN: Simply depart it in my fingers.
In one other recording, McClain is giving Madigan’s son, Andrew, an replace on efforts to get Peoples Gasoline to rent considered one of his mates. McClain belittles the utility firm for balking on the request.
McCLAIN: Yeah, I imply it, it’d be simple if everyone would simply obey, proper?
ANDREW MADIGAN: (Laughs.) Yeah. Properly, if, in the event that they have been not less than, you already know, had a mind on a regular basis, you already know.
McCLAIN: Proper. I, I simply love these folks that, they, they’re in a regulatory physique, proper? And so they’re offended if individuals ask for favors. Hiya? Dumb s—-.
Andrew Madigan was by no means charged, however prosecutors mentioned this name exhibits that the alleged job requests in Madigan’s orbit didn’t come simply from the speaker himself, nor have been they restricted to ComEd or AT&T.
It additionally confirmed a straightforward place to search out work for clout-heavy political employees was with firms with enterprise earlier than the Madigan-dominated Common Meeting, and that was a time-honored observe that McClain mentioned dated again nearly the whole lot of Madigan’s political profession.
In one other secretly recorded assembly, McClain explains it to the newly put in ComEd CEO, Joe Dominguez.
He’s making the case for why it is sensible for the corporate to maintain Madigan’s secure of no-work contractors employed. He additionally explains that Madigan all the time had hiring pull at ComEd, courting again to the Seventies, when he bought to call firm meter readers.
McCLAIN: I imply, it’s, uh, the old school patronage system and—
DOMINGUEZ: Mm-hm.
McCLAIN: —um, ComEd performed it like, um, like a—
DOMINGUEZ: Like a chip.
Madigan took the weird and dangerous step of testifying in his personal protection.
He advised jurors that he was angered and anxious to study allies weren’t working for his or her utility firm paychecks, that he by no means shook down builders to change into potential authorized shoppers and that his actions have been misconstrued by the federal government.
However the mass of evidentiary snippets that includes the defendants’ personal voices reveals how authorities enterprise allegedly bought completed outdoors of public view throughout Madigan’s time in Springfield.
Now, because the jury deliberates his and McClain’s authorized destiny, the largest query is whether or not that is the form of authorities 12 women and men assume Illinois ought to have.
Dave McKinney covers Illinois authorities and politics for WBEZ and was the longtime Springfield bureau chief for the Chicago Solar-Occasions.
