(The Center Square) – The Illinois House speaker’s executive assistant has reported to the witness stand at former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s corruption trial.
Mika Baugher has worked for Illinois House Speaker Chris Welch, D-Hillside, since 2021. Baugher was Madigan’s executive assistant from 2017-2021. Madigan had been speaker for all but two years from 1983 to 2021. Baugher previously worked in the speaker’s office from 2001 to2010 and returned in 2013.
U.S. government attorney Julia Schwartz introduced pages of Madigan’s schedules over a period of years, which included meetings and dinners with Madigan’s codefendant Michael McClain. The schedules also included meetings with Reyes Kurson law partner Victor Reyes, Madigan campaign worker Ed Moody, state Reps. Eddie Acevedo, D-Chicago, and Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and others.
AT&T Associate Director of Technology Jack Randall, who oversees wireless records for the company, took the stand Tuesday afternoon after former Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis finished his testimony.
Randall discussed AT&T’s wireless network with a focus on the years 2017 and 2018. Randall explained that any given call might not go through the network’s nearest processing center.
Randall reviewed and verified six calls that had been presented as government exhibits.
Prosecutors played several recordings of McClain Tuesday, including conversations with former Madigan chief of staff Tim Mapes.
In a call with state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, McClain warned Rita about emails related to a gaming bill. McClain advised Rita not to put things in print and said, “The feds are gonna look at it.”
Government attorney Sarah Streicher then played a series of calls related to gaming legislation. In one recording, McClain said he was a “Madigan’s agent” and that he was “guiding Rita.”
Earlier Tuesday, McClain defense attorney John Mitchell resumed his cross-examination of Solis.
After Mitchell asked Solis about his city pension of “approximately $100,000” per year, Solis said it was important to him as a government cooperator to keep his pension. Solis said he understood that his truthful cooperation could lead to the dismissal of his remaining bribery charge and thereby allow him to keep his pension.
When asked by Mitchell, Solis affirmed that he was a well-respected alderman and Latino leader in Chicago. At times during Mitchell’s cross-examination of Solis, McClain had his elbows on the table in front of him with his head lowered against his clasped hands.
Mitchell referred to a videotaped meeting at Solis’ City Hall office on Dec. 18, 2017, when Solis and McClain discussed the proposed development of state-owned land in Chicago’s Chinatown neighborhood.
During the conversation, Solis mentioned developers Eddie Ni and Ray Chin and then-Speaker Madigan.
“Eddie and Ray, have always been, well, not Eddie, ‘cause he’s recently maybe the last five years, but Ray, for the 22 years I’ve been here, he’s always been a strong supporter. Listens to my advice and everything. And so, in the past, I have been able to steer some work to Mike. And these guys will do the same thing. And then, so I’m hoping whatever happens in this 2019, 2018 election that this is gonna go through,” Solis told McClain.
The Chinatown project faced opposition from then-Illinois Transportation Secretary Randy Blankenhorn, who served under Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
During the meeting with Solis, McClain expressed optimism that the project might still go through. McClain also offered a “dual path,” with Democrat J.B. Pritzker projected to defeat Rauner in the gubernatorial election the following year.
“Instead of just keeping it quiet, if that’s what we think is happening, then we wanna get inside the Pritzker group. So in 2019, the Pritzker IDOT will say, “OK,” McClain told Solis.
After Mitchell finished, government attorney Diane MacArthur asked for a sidebar discussion, which led to an early lunch break at Judge John Robert Blakey’s direction.
MacArthur introduced a recording of a phone call from Oct. 10, 2014, before Solis began cooperating with the government in 2016. During the call, Madigan asked Solis for an introduction to developer Michael Chivini of The Pizzuti Companies.
Madigan attorney Dan Collins asked Solis if, in cooperation with the government, he was investigating conduct or people. Solis said he thought he was investigating crimes.
When Collins asked if he was asked to develop evidence against Madigan, Solis said, “I’m not sure how to answer that.”
Collins pressed Solis about one of his visits to a massage parlor, which Solis said he did at the government’s instruction. MacArthur objected and called for a sidebar. Shortly after, Judge Blakey told Solis he could step down.
The jury was not seated until 9:59 a.m. Tuesday, after Blakey met with prosecutors and defense attorneys over “legal matters.”
The judge called for an early lunch shortly after 11 a.m., again due to “legal matters” that involved attorneys resolving several issues.
Blakey allowed prosecutors to address Solis’ cooperation in other investigations, including the corruption trial of former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke. The judge, however, instructed government attorneys not to use Burke’s name during redirect testimony. Prosecutors agreed to defense attorneys’ request that Burke be referred to as a “high-ranking official” instead of a “high-ranking alderman.”
Madigan’s defense team had earlier objected to potential testimony from AT&T’s Randall. McClain’s defense team joined the objection, but attorneys from all sides resolved the issues before the jury returned from lunch.
Connie Mixon, professor of Political Science and director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, told The Center Square that government attorneys have a lot of material.
“They have many counts. They’re hoping that at least some of those counts are going to stick, and (they) usually have built a solid foundation upon which to make their case,” Mixon explained.
Madigan and McClain are charged with 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct in connection with a scheme that federal prosecutors referred to as “Madigan Enterprise.”
Prosecutors allege that ComEd and AT&T Illinois gave out no-work or little-work jobs and contract work to those loyal to Madigan to get legislation passed that would benefit them in Springfield. Four ComEd executives and lobbyists were convicted last year in a related trial, and ComEd itself agreed to pay $200 million in fines as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with prosecutors.
Madigan served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He was speaker for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. Madigan also chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois from 1998 to 2021.
McClain was a longtime lobbyist who previously served as a state representative in Illinois’ 48th district from 1973 to 1982.
The trial is scheduled to resume Wednesday at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago.
