In a surprising move, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will testify Tuesday in his ongoing corruption trial, defense attorneys announced.
Madigan will take the stand after a recess in the trial Tuesday afternoon, according to attorneys.
At this time it is unclear what the former speaker will discuss during his testimony, and it is unclear how long he will remain on the stand.
Defense attorneys have been laying out their case in recent days in the trial, which was paused during the holiday season. Former AT&T lobbyist Stephen Selke was one of the defense's key witnesses, spelling out how Illinois House members were lobbied in Springfield. His testimony sought to add fuel to the arguments of both Madigan and Michael McClain, a close confidant of the former speaker, that they engaged in nothing more than the normal give and take of the lobbying process.
The prosecution had rested their case in December, capping off nearly three months of testimony and taped conversations between Madigan and a slew of Illinois political leaders and lobbyists.
More than 150 tapes, wiretaps and transcripts have been entered into evidence during the trial, with prosecutors aiming to lay out their case that Madigan allegedly traded jobs and favors in exchange for his favorable votes while he was the speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives.
Madigan, once Illinois’ most powerful political leader, was indicted on 23 counts of bribery, racketeering, extortion and wire fraud in connection with the corruption investigation that has resulted in numerous convictions and prison sentences for other officials and lobbyists.
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Prosecutors accused Madigan of leading a “criminal enterprise” as part of an effort to enhance his political power, while generating income for allies and associates.
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The prosecution has relied heavily on recordings of phone calls between Madigan and McClain, who was also indicted and is a defendant in the trial.
Some of those phone calls also involved former Chicago Ald. Danny Solis, who secretly recorded phone calls and entered into a deferred prosecution agreement in exchange for working as a government informant.
Solis testified during the trial, alleging that Madigan called him to ask about a development in his ward while he served in the City Council. Solis alleged that Madigan wanted an introduction to a developer in order to solicit business for his law firm.
Prosecutors pushed back against Solis during cross-examination, with Solis admitting that he did not receive any offers of money during his conversations around the introductions.
Other witnesses in the case included former 13th Ward precinct captain Ed Moody, who told jurors he was paid more than $350,000 for consulting contracts, but was instead expected to perform political work for Madigan.
Former Illinois State Rep. Eddie Acevedo was one of the final witnesses to testify for the prosecution. Prosecutors alleged he was one of five Madigan allies who were paid $120,000 to curry favor with Madigan and to get legislation passed that was favorable to ComEd.
Acevedo was not charged in connection with those payments, but did serve a prison sentence for tax evasion, according to prosecutors.
Current Rep. Nikki Budzinski also testified in the trial, having worked in Springfield as an aide for Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker.
She told jurors about recommendations of nominees forwarded by Madigan’s office called “Sphinx lists,” a nickname she said was used for the former speaker. She testified that she felt it was important to be responsive to Madigan’s recommendatios but that she didn't feel necessary to act on them.
The case involving Madigan and McClain also involved several former high-profile figures in Illinois’ largest utility company. McClain, along with former ComEd CEO Anne Pragmaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former City Club President Jay Doherty, were all convicted in a separate case in May 2023. All four were convicted of participating in a criminal conspiracy, along with multiple counts of bribery and other felonies.
