(The Center Square) – A federal judge told a Chicago jury Monday that the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan could continue through mid-January.
The trial was initially expected to wrap up before the end of the year, but is now projected to run into 2025.
Judge John Robert Blakey said he wanted to let the jury know about the timeline so no one planned a January trip to Florida to escape the city’s cold winter weather. Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu jokingly asked if the court would be celebrating Festivus this year, a secular holiday celebrated by fictional character George Costanza’s family in the long-running TV show “Seinfeld.” In the 1997 episode of the show, the Festivus celebration includes an undecorated aluminum pole, the airing of grievances and “feats of strength.”
Blakey’s announcement came Monday as the trial entered its seventh week.
Prosecutors continued to present their case Monday, going through years of financial records to show the jury how much ComEd, the state’s largest utility, paid to subcontractors who did little or no work for the company. Prosecutors allege the utility gave out more than $1.3 million in contracts, no-show jobs and other benefits to Madigan and his top aide Michael McClain in exchange for legislation in Springfield that would help the utility financially.
FBI forensic accountant Katharine Heide took the stand to explain to the jury financial reports she created for the case. Prosecutors then took her – in some cases line by line – through years of payments to subcontractors.
Last week, cooperating witness Fidel Marquez, a former ComEd executive, said former Chicago alderman Frank Olivo, longtime Madigan campaign operative Ray Nice, former Cook County Recorder of Deeds Edward Moody, former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo and former Chicago alderman Mike Zalewski did little, if any, work for ComEd.
However, financial documents showed they were paid a combined $1.3 million from 2012 to 2019.
ComEd also paid $1.8 million to Reyes Kurson, a politically-connected law firm that McClain asked the utility to hire allegedly at Madigan’s request.
Madigan and McClain have pleaded not guilty to charges of racketeering, bribery and official misconduct.
ComEd agreed to pay $200 million in July 2020 to resolve a criminal investigation into the years-long bribery scheme. As part of a deferred prosecution agreement, ComEd admitted it arranged $1.3 million in jobs, vendor subcontracts and payments to influence Madigan. AT&T Illinois agreed to pay $23 million as part of its own deferred prosecution agreement in 2022.
Madigan served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He served as speaker of the Illinois House from 1983 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 2021. He wielded additional power as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.
