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Mike Madigan trial updates: Judge denies defense motion to exclude some evidence

Trial expected to last months

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Last updated: Monday, November 4, 2024 11:43AM GMT
Ex-aide Will Cousineau testifies for 3rd day
Longtime Madigan aide Will Cousineau returned to the stand for a third day.

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.
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Dec 02, 2024, 7:04 PM

Jury learns of 'magic list' of Madigan supporters

The jury learned about a "magic list" of Madigan supporters.

Mike McClain drafted a "magic list" of people who had helped Madigan.

Will Cousineau admitted he saw it with a letterhead of the Talbot Hotel in Chicago. It was handwritten.

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Dec 02, 2024, 7:04 PM

Judge denies defense motion to exclude some evidence

Thursday began in former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's federal corruption trial with a motion to exclude some evidence.

Defense attorneys filed a motion to exclude any references to the creation of documents and phone calls about tax issues with Kevin Quinn.

A judge denied a defense motion to exclude some evidence in former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan's federal corruption trial Thursday.

There are about seven tax issue calls between Mike McClain and Will Cousineau. In one of those phone calls, McClain asks the speaker if he should let Quinn's brother know about the financial arrangements. Kevin is Ald. Marty Quinn's brother.

But, the government maintains this is critical to establish the arrangements of payments to Quinn.

They argue that it points to the concealment of documents in the case.

The government argues that this is about compensating a political ally, and trying to conceal the payments that are not for legitimate work.

The judge denied the motion, and also noted that the motion was not timely.

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Nov 20, 2024, 8:36 PM GMT

What to expect from months-long Madigan trial

Jury selection will begin this week in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, whose half-century career and status as Illinois' most powerful politician ended nearly four years ago as the feds circled ever-closer to his inner circle.

Madigan was once considered the most powerful politician in Illinois, serving as House speaker for a total of 36 years. The 82-year-old ex-speaker faces bribery and racketeering charges - along with his longtime friend and powerful Springfield lobbyist Mike McClain - in a case that frames Madigan's power in government, politics and as a partner in his law firm as a criminal enterprise.

Jury selection begins this week in the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The trial, which is scheduled to last through mid-December, is the culmination of more than a decade of digging by the FBI and prosecutors, and it's the final in a series of related cases that have played out in Chicago's federal courthouse over the last few years.

Opening statements in the case are likely to begin on Tuesday, Oct. 15, though Blakey this week said jury selection should take as long as it needs. The trial is scheduled through Dec. 13.

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