Trial expected to last months
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.
The defense is objecting to some of star witness former ComEd VP Fidel Marquez's testimony Wednesday.
An attorney argued there was a lack of foundation to Marquez's claim that he "didn't expect them to work because they were hired as a favor for Madigan."
The defense called this an opinion, but the judge and government disagreed.
Marquez will likely spend several days on the stand.
The prosecution got to the meat of the bribery with a ComEd VP Tuesday.
Fidel Marquez testified ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore instructed him to have three of Madigan's 13th Ward precinct captains paid by ComEd for doing no work.
ComEd made payments to the lobbyists through a legitimate lobbyist named Jay Doherty.
One of the lobbyists, Ed Moody, had been previously paid via Mike McClain's law firm.
Most of the questioning was surrounding the payments.
"I didn't expect them to do any work as they were hired as a favor to Michael Madigan," Marquez said.
He also spoke of Pramaggiore, who would express often how powerful Madigan was.
She wanted to make sure Madigan supported ComEd's agenda, he said.
Following the passage of FEJA, Marquez was given a list of items that had to be completed. Marquez said he knew the "requests were coming from Michael Madigan."
They involved hiring certain individuals and labor agreements.
Marquez also noticed Pramaggiore and Madigan had a close relationship, and one of her sons worked in the Illinois delegation under Tim Mapes.
Pramaggiore also traveled to Turkey as part of the Illinois Economic Delegation.
After his retirement, McClain was still included in ComEd's developmental strategy and communication plans.
Marquez said McClain had a close relationship with Madigan, and was often tasked with his assignments.
Marquez often heard the speaker referred to as "our friend" or "him" or "himself."
Court will resume Wednesday with Marquez.
A juror accidentally spoke with Madigan Tuesday.
The juror asked if she could take a chair, but did not realize she was addressing Madigan until she had already asked.
The judge told both parties not to converse.
Former ComEd VP Fidel Marquez testified Tuesday in the Madigan trial.
He's one of the government's main witnesses with respect to the ComEd bribery allegations.
Marquez is 62, and was employed by ComEd for 37 years.
He was charged in 2020 with conspiracy to commit bribery. He pleaded guilty, and entered into a plea agreement. The judge could impose five years in prison. His case still pending.
Marquez said he made a plea agreement to cooperate with the government. The agreement is to answer truthfully when questioned.
His cooperation began in 2019.
He agreed to record Mike McClain and others.
Marquez started as an intern at ComEd and rose through the ranks to become Senior VP for Governmental and External Affairs during 2012-2019.
He explained the lobbying work that ComEd did not only in Springfield, but also in Chicago, Cook County and in other municipalities. There was some discussion about the FEJA legislation and how beneficial it was to ComEd and Exelon. The Sunset bill and Senate Bill 9 were also addressed.
Prior to 2009, "The relationship with Madigan was not strong. It was not good."
He was under the understanding that "It would be difficult to pass legislation that ComEd was championing."
