(The Center Square) – A federal jury found Michael Madigan’s former chief of staff guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice charges on Thursday, alleging he lied to a grand jury to protect his former boss.
Tim Mapes, 68, served for years under former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan as the clerk of the Illinois House and as Madigan’s chief of staff.
In May 2021, federal prosecutors charged Mapes with lying to a grand jury in a federal probe connected to the longtime former speaker.
According to the indictment, Mapes acted as a courier exchanging messages between Madigan and former lobbyist and state lawmaker Michael McClain, who worked as a lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison after retiring from the House.
The indictment alleged that Mapes lied to the grand jury when asked about Madigan’s relationship with McClain.
Mapes was fired from his position under Madigan in 2018 after public allegations of harassment against colleagues. An inspector general in 2019 said Mapes should never be allowed to work for state government again.
The guilty verdict in the Mapes case follows on the heels of convictions in the ComEd bribery case, which also was tied to Madigan.
In May, a jury convicted former state lawmaker and lobbyist Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former contract lobbyist Jay Doherty of a multi-year scheme to bribe Madigan with no-show jobs, contracts and payments to associates in exchange for support with legislation that would benefit the utility’s finances.
