Mike Madigan trial updates: Jury hears more testimony in ex-speaker trial

Trial expected to last months

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Last updated: Tuesday, October 29, 2024 10:03PM GMT
Ex-ComEd general counsel gets to heart of corruption in Madigan trial
Former ComEd General Counsel Thomas O'Neill got to the heart of the corruption charges in ex-IL Speaker Mike Madigan's trial Monday.

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The corruption trial for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has begun.

Madigan had been indicted on federal racketeering and bribery charges as a part of what federal prosecutors call "the Madigan enterprise," where they say he allegedly committed crimes for his personal gain and that of his political allies.

The blockbuster trial is expected to take several months.

Check back with ABC7 Chicago for live updates.

Key Headlines

Here's how the news is developing.
Michelle Gallardo Image
Nov 20, 2024, 8:36 PM

Former ComEd general counsel gets to heart of corruption charges

In his day-long testimony, ComEd's former General Counsel Tom O'Neill got to the heart of the corruption charges against Madigan and his co-defendant, Mike McClain.

O'Neill described the utility giant as one which, in July of 2010, was in a "precarious financial position": a company in desperate need of a new way to set customer rates.

Former ComEd General Counsel Thomas O'Neill got to the heart of the corruption charges in ex-IL Speaker Mike Madigan's trial Monday.

Tasked with helping to make that happen, O'Neill spent the next six and a half years going back and forth to Springfield, negotiating and drafting three major pieces of legislation that were critical to turning around ComEd's fortunes.

"I got asked frequently, if not constantly: Does the speaker support this? Or, where is the speaker on this?" O'Neill testified.

He said the company relied in large measure on contract lobbyist McClain for access to Madigan.

"Mr. McClain had free access in the speaker's suite," said O'Neill, who went on to connect the dots for prosecutors.

They drew a direct line between the legislation pushes and a contract entered into by ComEd, in October 2011, with Reyes Kurson, a law firm headed up by Victor Reyes, a political ally of Madigan's.

The contract was agreed to just as the General Assembly voted to override Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of ComEd's first big legislative push. When some years later O'Neill attempted to cut the law firm's hours, as yet another ComEd bill was getting ready to be voted on, ComEd's CEO Anne Pramaggiore received an email from McClain.

"I'm sure you know how valuable Victor is to our Friend," McClain said. "I know the drill and so do you. If you do not get involved and resolve this issue of 850 hours for his law firm per year then he will go to our Friend. Our Friend will call me and then I will call you. Is this a drill we must go through?"

Prosecutors said the "Friend" was Madigan.

Ultimately, the contract was renewed several months later, right around the same time ComEd's third major legislative push ended successfully in Springfield. O'Neill returns to the witness stand Tuesday, when he is expected to be extensively cross-examined by defense lawyers.

ByCapitol News Illinois
Nov 20, 2024, 8:36 PM GMT

Jury selection complete after slow process

A jury has been selected for former House Speaker Michael Madigan's corruption trial.

On Monday morning, the jury was made up of eight women and four men, but two more alternates were picked throughout the day.

Jury selection for Madigan's trial was always going to be a slow and deliberate process. Due to the high-profile nature of the case, Judge Blakey this summer agreed to keep prospective jurors' names anonymous and question them individually after completing a lengthy questionnaire.

But selecting the 12-member jury and six alternate jurors from the nearly 200-person jury pool took more than twice as long as originally scheduled. By the time the final alternates are chosen on Monday, the seven-day process will have lasted longer than the entire related AT&T trial last month.

The dozens of prospective jurors who made it into the courtroom for questioning were largely white and were also disproportionately older, likely due to the number of those working-age pool members who were immediately eliminated by their inability to commit to an estimated 11 weeks of trial.

After spending on average more than half an hour with each prospective juror during questioning aimed at flagging any unconscious biases, the parties finally found their 12th member on Thursday morning. The jury includes a racially diverse group of eight women and four men ranging from their early 20s to retirees.

Jury members include a teacher, an Amazon warehouse worker and a Goodwill donation center employee. The jury also has a number of health care workers, including an overnight nurse and two who work in patient scheduling at separate Chicago hospitals.

The final juror works at yet another Chicago hospital and told a Madigan attorney that he'd heard the speaker's name but wasn't sure what position he'd held.

"I know he's been a longtime leader, well-known name in Illinois and the city but I - honestly, I'm a little embarrassed ... I don't follow politics that much," he said.

But most of the jury is in the same boat. Some were vaguely aware of Madigan's case and last year's ComEd trial from headlines and mentions on TV news, though others had never heard the speaker's name before.

One juror confessed that when she told her best friend about her jury summons, the friend predicted that she was being called for the Madigan case - and told her to "vote guilty" for the longtime Democratic powerbroker.

"She's a Trumper," the juror said of her friend, referring to her support for former President Donald Trump. "She really hates all Democrats except me, maybe."

The same juror also elicited a rare moment of laughter from Madigan when she told his attorney Tom Breen that he looked like the actor Eric Roberts.

Even the judge joined in on the reaction shared by the rest of the courtroom.

"Eric Roberts?" Blakey repeated incredulously. "Wow."

ByABC7 Chicago Digital Team WLS logo
Nov 20, 2024, 8:36 PM GMT

Opening statements could happen Monday

Opening Statements could come as soon as Monday, in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan.

A jury of eight women and four men was selected slowly over the last two weeks.

Judge John Blakey plans to have two alternate jurors picked during Monday morning's session at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.

Nov 20, 2024, 8:36 PM GMT

4 alternates selected on Thursday

The court selected the 12th juror on Thursday.

Four alternates were selected on Thursday afternoon for the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Two more alternates still need to be chosen.

The court is taking a break on Friday. Jury selection will resume Monday.

Nov 20, 2024, 8:36 PM GMT

12th juror selected on Thursday

The court has selected the 12th juror on Thursday.

Now, they will move on to select alternate jurors. By noon the judge announced they selected their first alternate.

Judge Robert Blakey said if they don't finish today, they will wrap it up and begin opening statements on Monday.

There will be no court on Friday.