AT&T Illinois has agreed to pay a $23 million fine for trying to illegally sway former state House Speaker Michael Madigan by steering $22,500 to a Madigan ally as key legislation moved through Springfield, the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney's Office announced Friday.
The utility has also entered into a so-called deferred-prosecution agreement with U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office, similar to the deal cut by ComEd when the feds charged it with bribery more than two years ago.
AT&T Illinois has cooperated with federal prosecutors — and says it will continue to do so — under the terms of the two-year deal.
The case against ComEd first implicated Madigan in a nearly decade-long scheme that has since led to the indictment of Madigan himself, as well as four people tied to ComEd who are also accused of trying to illegally influence Madigan by rewarding his allies.
The scandal led in early 2021 to the end of Madigan’s reign as the longest-serving state House speaker in the nation, though Madigan wouldn’t be charged until earlier this year.
WBEZ reported earlier this year that AT&T Illinois, officially known as Illinois Bell Telephone Company LLC, could face a criminal charge as an offshoot of the Madigan investigation. The utility said as much in a federal regulatory filing.
"Recently, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois informed us that they are considering filing a charge against one of our subsidiaries, Illinois Bell Telephone Company, LLC (Illinois Bell), arising out of a single, nine-month consulting contract in 2017 worth $22,500," the company disclosed.
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