The feds say a person who as soon as had an “unbreakable” bond with former Illinois Home Speaker Michael J. Madigan ought to be sentenced to just about six years in jail, partly for serving as Madigan’s “agent, messenger” and “henchman” in a prolonged conspiracy involving ComEd.
Prosecutors mentioned Thursday that Michael McClain’s “tight connection” with the previous speaker led to McClain “making demand after demand of ComEd to meet Madigan’s directives,” as a jury concluded in Could 2023.
“McClain’s plan was unlawful to its core,” they wrote.
However McClain’s attorneys say he ought to get probation when he’s sentenced July 24. They mentioned the 77-year-old former lobbyist as soon as operated in an Illinois Capitol the place favors have been “not perceived by the overwhelming majority of legislators and lobbyists … as being in any sense unlawful.”
Additionally they mentioned the “most essential consideration” for U.S. District Decide Manish Shah might be the adequacy of medical therapy McClain would possibly obtain behind bars. They cited the likelihood that he might “die alone in jail, separated from his household and family members.”
“Mr. McClain has not held political workplace in over 30 years,” his legal professionals advised the choose. “He’s neither chargeable for, neither is it simply to punish him to any diploma for generations of the best way politics has been performed by different individuals on this state.”
Six years in the past, McClain bragged about how “you’ve by no means seen my identify in a newspaper article.” However within the years since, he’s change into a central character in a number of trials on the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.
He confronted two of his personal. One ended with McClain’s conviction for the ComEd conspiracy, for which he now faces sentencing. Jurors in that case discovered McClain responsible for his position in a scheme to pay $1.3 million to 5 Madigan allies to curry favor with Madigan.
Convicted together with McClain in that case have been former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime Metropolis Membership President Jay Doherty. All 4 face sentencing earlier than Shah within the coming weeks.
McClain then went to trial a second time, alongside Madigan. However jurors in that case returned no verdict when it got here to McClain.
Nonetheless, panels in two different trials heard loads about him. The jury that convicted former Madigan chief of workers Tim Mapes of perjury and tried obstruction of justice in 2023 listened to McClain’s voice repeatedly as prosecutors used his wiretapped calls to prosecute Mapes.
Then, the jury that failed in 2024 to achieve a verdict relating to former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza heard that McClain was seen as Madigan’s emissary amid an alleged bribery scheme for which nobody has been convicted, up to now.
La Schiazza faces trial once more in January.
A lot has been made from the friendship between Madigan and McClain, which appears to have been key to the case prosecutors constructed in opposition to the once-powerful former speaker. Former Ald. Danny Solis requested McClain about it in a secretly recorded dialog in 2017.
Solis wore a wire for the FBI to keep away from a conviction for his personal alleged wrongdoing. McClain as soon as served within the Legislature with Madigan, taking workplace round 1972.
“The speaker was No. 1,” McClain advised Solis. “I used to be No. 2. And, um, we grew to become actual good buddies. After which after I left workplace, then I went again to lobbying, and we continued that friendship.”
McClain additionally advised Solis a couple of lesser-known aspect of Madigan, warning him about watching Notre Dame video games with the famously reserved politician.
“He’s yelling and screaming on a regular basis,” McClain mentioned. “You don’t need to sit in the lounge with him and watch a Notre Dame recreation. He will get fairly enthusiastic about it.”
Madigan testified at trial that his relationship with McClain had survived, “till lately.” And through closing arguments of their trial earlier this yr, McClain legal professional Patrick Cotter mentioned McClain was as soon as Madigan’s “good pal.”
“We all know, now, he’s not,” Cotter advised the jury. “And that’s — I suppose that’s a casualty of this case. But it surely was actual.”
Nonetheless, U.S. District Decide John Blakey took Madigan to process final month whereas sentencing him to 7 ½ years in jail. The choose accused Madigan of mendacity on the witness stand, together with about his relationship with McClain.
“McClain was certainly one of Madigan’s most trusted operatives,” Blakey mentioned, “not only one lobbyist of many as Madigan falsely portrayed in his testimony on the witness stand.”
