Michael McClain
SPRINGFIELD – The federal case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan widened Friday after new charges were filed against him and his longtime ally, Michael McClain, alleging they conspired to accept a bribe from AT&T Illinois in exchange for favorable legislation. Prosecutors also announced that the company had admitted to using interstate commerce to facilitate passage…
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The racketeering case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and his longtime confidant will likely not see any significant court action until next year after a judge Tuesday granted the defense a lengthy extension to review the massive pile of evidence turned over by prosecutors. In the first status hearing in the bombshell case…
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CHICAGO — The trial of four people accused of trying to bribe then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been rescheduled for March 6. Charged in the case are longtime Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-top ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former City Club President Jay Doherty. The four are accused of…
Read Full Article A newly unsealed search warrant in the ComEd bribery probe centered on former House Speaker Michael Madigan provides the greatest detail yet about an alleged behind-the-scenes effort to kill an energy bill supported by Madigan’s daughter, the then-Illinois attorney general. “We got — we’ve gotta kill it. Period,” Madigan’s longtime confidant, Michael McClain, allegedly told…
Read Full Article Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was recorded on a wiretapped phone call in 2018 discussing with lobbyist confidant Michael McClain a plan to arrange secret payments to a close political ally who had been implicated in a sexual harassment scandal, newly released court documents show. Madigan has always denied any involvement in the scheme…
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QUINCY — J. Robert Gough talks with Chicago Tribune reporter Ray Long, who penned the book “The House That Madigan Built”, which chronicles the rise and fall of the longest tenured statehouse speaker in U.S. History. Long also discusses the involvement of long-time Madigan consigliere Mike McClain, the retired lobbyist and lawmaker from Quincy, who…
Read Full Article SPRINGFIELD – Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and former lobbyist Michael McClain on Wednesday pleaded not guilty in federal court to charges of racketeering, bribery, fraud and extortion. Both were arraigned on those charges during a teleconference hearing before U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Cole, a hearing that was prolonged several minutes because McClain had…
Read Full Article CHICAGO — One week after he was charged in a 22-count federal indictment that included racketeering, for Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is scheduled to be arraigned in a hearing to be conducted by phone at 1:30 p.m. today at the Everett M. Dirksen U.S. Federal Courthouse in Chicago’s Loop. Madigan, 79, faces allegations…
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SPRINGFIELD — In a 106-page, 22-count indictment, federal prosecutors painted a picture of former House Speaker Michael Madigan as the leader, along with a longtime confidante, of a sweeping criminal enterprise that influenced legislation for personal power and financial gain. “The Madigan Enterprise,” as prosecutors called it in the document filed Wednesday, benefitted from Madigan’s…
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Indictment: Used position as speaker, Democratic Party chair for personal gain UPDATED SPRINGFIELD – Longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been indicted by a federal grand jury on 22 counts for allegedly using his position as the top House Democrat to solicit “personal financial rewards” for himself and others, according to the U.S. Attorney’s…
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Mike McClain and Abraham Lincoln both served in the Illinois Legislature. Not together, of course. Chicago Tribune reporters Jason Meisner and Ray Long shared an interesting tidbit from the criminal defense of McClain, the “retired” Quincy lawyer/lobbyist/insider and consigliere to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Muddy River News linked to it Monday, and it…
Read Full Article It’s the biggest federal corruption investigation in years, but the most remarkable thing about the Commonwealth Edison bribery probe in 2021 might be what didn’t happen. The year began with pressure mounting on Michael Madigan, the then-powerful House speaker whose ironclad grip on the General Assembly was slipping after being exposed the previous summer as…
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Nearly two years ago, a WBEZ open-records request to Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s office set off alarm bells in Springfield. The governor’s office released a 2012 email exchange between now-indicted former Commonwealth Edison lobbyist Michael McClain and two top aides to then-Gov. Pat Quinn. McClain was seeking leniency for a former state employee, Forrest Ashby,…
Read Full Article Federal prosecutors argued Monday that a bid from four members of ex-House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle to convince a judge to toss part of the indictment filed against them ignores the alleged corruption at the heart of the case. “The illegal conduct alleged in the indictment did not consist merely of lobbying, and it…
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Four members of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle could face trial late in 2022 for their alleged roles in the ComEd bribery scandal. What’s still not clear is whether new allegations might surface in the case by then. U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber on Tuesday scheduled a Sept. 12, 2022, trial for Madigan…
Read Full Article From The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES – Members of former House Speaker Michael Madigan’s inner circle argued Tuesday that their indictment in the ComEd bribery scandal suffers from a series of “fatal” gaps — including the lack of a clear quid pro quo. Lawyers for Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, onetime ComEd lobbyist John…
Read Full Article From Chicago Tribune – The 11-page indictment alleged Tim Mapes repeatedly lied during a March 31 appearance before the grand jury when asked about Madigan’s relationship with his longtime confidant Michael McClain of Quincy, who was charged in November with orchestrating the ComEd bribery scheme. He also lied when he said he had no knowledge…
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