(The Center Square) – Defense attorneys are expected to begin presenting their case Wednesday at the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain.
Prosecutors called their final witnesses and played their final recordings Tuesday afternoon. Judge John Robert Blakey read an instruction to the jury regarding the consistency of former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo’s testimony. Blakey then called for an early recess around 2:30 p.m. after telling the jury he had some legal matters to take care of. Prosecutor Amar Bhachu said attorneys had some “homework to do.”
U.S. government attorney Julia Schwartz played a wiretapped call from May 10, 2018, of Madigan telling McClain that Acevedo, D-Chicago, was looking for work and Madigan referring to gaming. Schwartz then played a call dated May 16, 2018, of Madigan and McClain discussing AT&T-related legislation and a parcel of land in Chinatown, which McClain and others were attempting to include in a land-transfer bill.
Acevedo finished testifying Tuesday morning after first reporting to the witness stand Monday afternoon. The Chicago Democrat served in the Illinois House from 2003 to 2017 and was assistant majority leader for several years.
Last week, Blakey rejected defense attorneys’ motion to block Acevedo’s appearance. Acevedo’s attorney, Gabrielle Sansonetti, had also objected to her client’s appearance, saying he had dementia.
On Tuesday, Acevedo responded to government attorney Amar Bhachu several times by saying he didn’t remember or didn’t recall, and he said he had problems with his memory.
Lobbyist and former AT&T Director of Government Relations Michael Lieteau testified about Acevedo Tuesday morning.
Lieteau said there were occasions when Acevedo had too much to drink. On those occasions, Lieteau said he recalled Acevedo falling off a barstool, insulting people and having slurred speech.
Lieteau said Acevedo did not have a good reputation in the General Assembly and said he would not have wanted to hire him. Lieteau said he did not recall seeing Acevedo at any AT&T lobbyist meetings.
FBI Special Agent Eileen McDermott, one of the case agents assigned to the investigation of Madigan and McClain, testified about phone records Tuesday. McDermott testified there were 11 or 12 calls between McClain and former AT&T President Paul La Schiazza in 2017. McDermott said most of the calls were placed in May, during the General Assembly’s legislative session.
McDermott said there were about 50 calls between McClain and former AT&T executive Bob Barry. Federal investigators began intercepting McClain’s calls in or around April 2018. McDermott testified about calls between McClain and Madigan’s 13th Ward office, Madigan’s law office and Madigan’s wife, Shirley.
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.
McDermott said she prepared a Michael McClain and Michael Madigan Meals Summary Chart from phone and email records. McDermott named some of the restaurants McClain and Madigan frequented in Springfield and Chicago from 2011 to 2019 and described utilities-related legislation that the General Assembly was considering at the time.
FBI Special Agent Kyle Scherrer returned to court as the government’s final witness Tuesday. Scherrer testified over parts of two days last month about federal investigators’ searches of electronic devices that belonged to McClain, former 13th Ward campaign workers Ed Moody and Ray Nice, lobbyist Shaw Decremer and former Chicago alderman Mike Zalewski.
Scherrer answered questions from government attorney Sarah Streicker Tuesday afternoon about an interview he and others conducted with Acevedo on Sept. 17, 2019.
Scherrer said Acevedo testified at that time that he did no work for AT&T and no work for AT&T contractor Tom Cullen. Scherrer also said Acevedo testified that no doctor had diagnosed him with memory-loss issues at that time.
Scherrer said Acevedo also said he had not been given such a diagnosis during a subsequent meeting regarding Acevedo’s plea agreement with the government.
Streicker contrasted Scherrer’s testimony about Acevedo’s answers in 2019 and Acevedo’s answers Tuesday morning.
Acevedo pleaded guilty to tax evasion in December of 2021 and was sentenced to six months in prison.
At a meeting recorded on Dec. 18, 2017, then-Chicago Alderman and cooperating witness Daniel Solis talked about Acevedo and state Sen. Martin Sandoval.
“To be honest with you, except for the beginning, I’ve not had a really good relationship with Eddie. Tony’s much better, but Eddie and Marty, in particular. And so I just take care of my own, take care of my ward,” Solis said.
Madigan and McClain have pleaded not guilty to all 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct. Attorneys indicated Tuesday that McClain’s defense team would begin making its case Wednesday and that Madigan’s attorneys would follow.
Madigan served in the Illinois House for 50 years and was speaker for all but two years from 1983 to 2021. Madigan also chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois for 23 years.
At a recorded meeting with developer Gordon Skydell on Sept. 4, 2018, Madigan discussed an upcoming change at Chicago’s city hall.
“One of the complaints against me is I’ve been around too long. I’ve worked with eight mayors. This is the eighth mayor that I’ve worked with in the time that I’ve been in the legislature,” Madigan said.
Madigan told Skydell that his private law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner, did real estate tax work for building owners.
“There are others that do it. OK? We don’t take a second seat to anybody in terms of the quality and the results that we get,” Madigan said.
United States of America v. Madigan et al is scheduled to resume Wednesday morning at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago.
Brett Rowland contributed to this report.
