Danny Solis is the government's star witness against once-powerful Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan, but on Monday, Madigan’s attorneys took aim at the former Chicago alderman. Solis' credibility is crucial to this case, as it was to the case against long-serving Ald. Ed Burke.
After more than a week of often uncomfortable testimony for the former alderman-turned-FBI mole about massages and Viagra, the latest questioning focused Solis' failure to declare hundreds of thousands of dollars he received from the Vendor Assistance Program, a company founded by his sister, Patti Solis Doyle, and friend, Brian Hynes.
"Do you recall if you claimed that $230,000 on your 2016 taxes?" attorney Dan Collins asked.
"No, I did not," Solis responded.
To explain the income, Solis said his sister advised him to say he had made an investment in her company.
"Did you realize your sister was recommending tax fraud?" Collins asked. "No," Solis said.
"Claiming $150,000 on your tax return when you didn't spend a penny? You didn't know that was criminal?" Collins pressed.
"I don’t know, sir," Solis said.
It was Solis who wore a wire and delivered crucial video evidence in the case against Madigan, including hidden camera recordings of his meetings with the then-Speaker and his confidant, Mike McClain.
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Both McClain and Madigan insist they did nothing wrong and that the activities captured on the video were simply lobbying and the give-and take of the political process, neither of which is illegal.
"Mike Madigan never offered a dime to you for introductions, did he?" Collins demanded. "No," Solis answered.
The loud confrontation prompted a sidebar with the judge. He excluded Solis' testimony about Ed Burke from the jury's consideration.
Solis is testifying under a deferred prosecution agreement with the government that could allow him to escape a felony conviction and keep him out of jail. Collins reminded Solis that the deal "could go 'poof'" if he committed other crimes while he awaits his own sentencing. The deal could also preserve Solis' Chicago city pension.
"This agreement over the course of your lifetime is going to allow you to collect another two and a half million dollars?" Collins asked.
"I hope to live as long as I can, yes," Solis said.
