Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison, $2.5 million fine
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan on Friday was sentenced to 7 ½ years in prison, following his conviction earlier this year on bribery, conspiracy, and fraud charges.
Madigan, 83, also faces a $2.5 million fine, and three years of supervised release once he's out of prison. With Madigan required to serve at least 85% of his sentence, he will be around 90 years old before he's eligible for release.
U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey said the case was essentially the "tale of two Mikes," noting Madigan did do a lot of good things for the public during his decades in office, yet still committed acts of corruption.
"This case is really sad, because the defendant is a dedicated public servant, apart from the crimes committed in this case. He's also a good and decent person. He had no reason to commit these crimes, but he chose to do so," Blakey said.
The judge also made it clear that Madigan's decision to testify in his own defene at trial backfired, agreeing with prosecutors that the former speaker repeatedly lied on the witness stand, calling it a "nauseating display of perjury and pervasion.
"You lied sir. You did not have to," Blakey said.
Madigan sat stone-faced for the entire sentencing hearing, other than when he took the stand to ask the judge to show mercy.
"I am truly sorry for putting the people of the state of Illinois through this. I tried to do my best to serve the people of the state. I am not perfect," Madigan said.
The former speaker also asked to be able to care for his ailing wife, Shirley, who said in a statement before the hearing that she has suffered from COVID-19, pneumonia, and an irregular heartbeat.
"When I look back on my life, being speaker is not what gives me the most pride. I am most proud of being a good husband, a good father and now a good grandfather," Madigan added. "I ask respectfully that you let me take care of Shirley in my days ahead, and to let me spend my remaining days with my family."
Madigan was convicted of a plot to arrange for cushy no-show ComEd jobs for his allies in exchange for his support legislation beneficial to the utility giant. The jury found him guilty of a scheme to get a state board position for former Ald. Danny Solis in exchange for Solis' help securing business for Madigan's private law firm.
Solis was a key witness against Madigan, after he agreed to wear a wire for federal investigators as part of a deal to avoid prosecution for his own crimes.
In recommending a 12 ½-year sentence for Madigan, federal prosecutors pushed back on any suggestion that the legislation ComEd sought his help for was beneficial to consumers.
"Whether good policy or bad, legislation should not be bought," Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said.
During the sentencing hearing, the judge said he agreed with prosecutors that Madigan lied when he took the witness stand at his trial, a likely factor in the ultimate sentence Madigan faced.
"When his back was against the wall he chose to take the witness stand and lie," Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said. "He was trying to obstruct the process, mislead the jury to get himself out of trouble."
Defense attorney Dan Collins, who sought a sentence of five years of probation, argued during the hearing that Madigan never sought to amass power or enrich himself, but only tried to lead the Democratic Party of Illinois and to serve the citiczens and workers of Illinois.
"Today shouldn't be about rhetoric. It ought to be about reality. It ought to be about the reality of Mike. When the government talks about power and greed, that is not Mike," Collins said. "He lived his life in service of his neighbors, in service of his community, in service of his state."
Federal prosecutors had urged the judge to sentence Madigan to 12 ½ years in prison and a $1.5 million fine, arguing his decades-long reign as speaker was "steeped in corruption."
Madigan's defense team had asked the judge to sentence him to five years of probation, including the first year on home confinement, along with community service and a "reasonable fine."
CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller said, as the lengthy sentencing hearing went on Friday afternoon, it became clear Judge Blakey would hand Madigan a lengthy sentence.
"At the beginning of the day, I thought he'd be sentenced to about 40 months, based on all those letters that were submitted. After hearing every ruling that the judge made today … I would say 99% of his rulings today went against the former speaker," he said. "In the way the judge approached Madigan in making these rulings, it sounded like the judge actually had some contempt for him as to what he did as a public official."
Last week, Madigan's wife, Shirley Madigan, made a video plea that she hoped would be played in open court, explaining that she wouldn't know what to do without him around.
"I would probably have to find some place to live, and I probably would have to find care," she said in the video.
All this following a four-month trial, a jury in February convicted Madigan of 10 felony counts, including bribery, bribery conspiracy, wire fraud, and using interstate commerce to facilitate bribery. Jurors acquitted him of seven other charges, and were unable to reach a unanimous verdict on six other charges, including the most serious count of racketeering.