(The Center Square) – Former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan appealed bribery and other convictions to the U.S. Supreme Court on Wednesday.
Madigan was found guilty on 10 felony counts including bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud stemming from a pay-to-play bribery scheme that he ran for multiple years.
A jury found Madigan used his position to reward political allies with no-show jobs and beneficial contracts in exchange for favorable legislation.
In the new filing, Madigan is appealing for multiple reasons, asking the top court to grant the petition to hear his case.
He argues in the filing is that for an official to be guilty of bribery, they must personally intend to break the law, rather than just knowing that a company is trying to win their favor.
He also argues he didn’t provide clear promises to take official actions, like recommending a person for a job to an incoming governor, which the appeal describes are normal political actions someone might take.
Madigan is currently serving a seven-and-a-half year sentence in federal prison.
Justices could announce a decision to take the case or not in October.
