(WBBM NEWSRADIO) — On Wednesday, a jury convicted former state House Speaker Michael Madigan on ten of 23 counts alleging he plotted to use his immense clout in Springfield to secure high-paid do-nothing jobs for his friends and cronies.
Jurors did not convict on 13 others – including the most serious charge of racketeering. However, jurors deadlocked on charges against Madigan's co-defendant Michael McClain.
A legal expert speaks about the significance of the verdict against Madigan.
Patrick Collins prosecuted former Illinois Governor George Ryan who was convicted of racketeering and fraud nearly two decades ago.
Collins says the government's case against Mike Madigan regarding schemes involving the state’s largest utility, ComEd, likely sealed the former Illinois House Speaker's fate.
“That was really the core of this case. That's where the government really spent the vast majority of the time. That's where the tapes were, and the jury did find guilt there,” Collins said.
“I do think, you know, Mr. Madigan's testimony did convince or sway the jury in some respects, but ultimately he could not unravel the story that was sort of baked in on the ComEd sequence.”
Collins also called the Madigan verdict a "significant win" for the government, and said prosecutors got what they wanted.
“I do not believe they're going to retry Mr. Madigan on the counts for which the jury was unable to reach a decision.”
Former mayor Lori Lightfoot – who also is a former federal prosecutor – told CBS News Chicago that she'd like to think the verdict in the Madigan case would serve as a deterrent to elected leaders considering abuses of the public trust.
Gov. JB Pritzker, who like Madigan is a Democrat, calls the verdict an important message to anyone in government that, “if you choose corruption, you will be punished”.
“The fact of the matter is, if you look at Illinois's long history, these cases are not a deterrent, there's more that needs to be done from an ethical standpoint, and more than they need to be done from oversight. We still are way behind the curve compared to other states.”
Illinois Republicans said the guilty corruption verdicts demonstrate a glaring need for reform in state politics.
Deputy House Republican Leader Ryan Spain was asked following the verdict if legislation can fix corruption.
“The structure of government that has been developed is the Mike Madigan structure. And so we have to hit the reset button, entirely,” Spain said.
“We have to have new rules, we have to have term limits on the Speaker of the House, not just in the rule book, but in statute.”
The Madigan verdict follows corruption convictions in recent decades of numerous Illinois politicians, including former Gov. Rod Blagojevich who, just this week, was granted a full pardon by President Donald Trump.
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