ComEd Bribery Trial
Four power players are accused of trying to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to benefit ComEd. The four have pleaded not guilty, and their trial is likely to explore the line between legal lobbying and criminal activity.
John Hooker is the first of four former ComEd officials set to be sentenced in the coming weeks. Prosecutors say he, like Madigan, lied on the witness stand at trial.
Sentencings in the case are set to begin July 14.
A federal jury in May 2023 convicted Madigan ally Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime City Club President Jay Doherty for the nearly decadelong conspiracy.
The public wants the case closed, prosecutors argue, but the defense wants to wait for the Justice Department to review it.
U.S. District Judge Manish Shah left intact the conspiracy conviction and other counts against the four defendants, convicted of an illegal effort to influence former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan as ComEd legislation moved through Springfield.
Defense attorneys are pointing to a Feb. 10 executive order from President Donald Trump pausing enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. The president’s order says the law’s use has been “stretched beyond proper bounds and abused in a manner that harms the interests of the United States.”
The deal was modeled after a similar one issued in 2020 to electrical company ComEd. ComEd was spared prosecution after cooperating with the feds and paying a $200 million fine.
It’s a remarkable turnaround in a case that once seemed like a slam-dunk for the feds. Jurors in May 2023 convicted the four defendants of every count for which they’d been charged.
A defense attorney predicted one of Chicago’s high-stakes public corruption cases, the ComEd bribery case, will get a new trial. Michael Madigan’s trial is set for October but could be delayed.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber took senior status in 2002, but he continued to preside over blockbuster trials 20 years later. They included the trial of former R&B star R. Kelly in 2022 and a major corruption trial involving four political insiders tied to ComEd. “He was an honorable judge and an honorable man,” said Kelly attorney Jennifer Bonjean.
The case before the nation’s high court Monday was actually the corruption case against James Snyder, a former mayor of Portage, Indiana. The justices acknowledged their decision in the case will have implications for prosecutions across the country.
The high court is reviewing a law that’s popular among federal prosecutors — including those pursuing former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan.
Credibility of Fidel Marquez, the former ComEd exec whom FBI agents persuaded to cooperate in the investigation of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, is now questionable, judge implies.
Fidel Marquez did not succeed in purchasing the firearm, and no criminal charges appear to have been filed against him. Prosecutors confirmed earlier this week that he is expected to testify at the trial of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Prosecutors have accused defense attorneys for the four people convicted of conspiring to bribe Michael Madigan of “claiming victory prematurely.” But one defense attorney predicted that “the convictions are not going to stand.”
An appeal for mercy for former City Club president Jay Doherty.
U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber has yet to decide whether those hearings should also be postponed until after the Supreme Court considers an Indiana corruption case.
A judge declined to put the ComEd bribery case fully on hold Monday despite a Supreme Court review of a key corruption law. But a similar request is expected to be made of Madigan’s judge.
The dispute is over whether a federal bribery statute criminalizes only bribery, as opposed to also criminalizing so-called gratuities or rewards.
It’s a sign of how serious all sides are taking the sentencing of Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and onetime City Club President Jay Doherty.