(The Center Square) – Judges have provided further instruction to to the jury at the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain.
A note from jurors Friday morning asked for clarification about things of value, as noted in Judge John Robert Blakey’s instructions.
With Blakey absent Friday, Judge Edmond Chang read the question in court and said he consulted Blakey before preparing additional instruction.
The judge read the new instruction, which said, “bona fide salary, wages, and fees paid in the usual course of business do not qualify as a thing of value.”
The second part of the response, however, said, “salary obtained by bribery is not in the usual course of business and can be considered a valuable thing or something of value.”
The question did not apply to every count in the case. The judge’s response reminded the jury to follow all instructions and to consider each count separately.
Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Collins said it was easier for prosecutors to win bribery cases before last year, when the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the conviction of former Portage, Indiana Mayor James Snyder.
“In this case, the Snyder Supreme Court decision, which really moves the bar up for prosecutors, I think that’s a real issue for the government,” Collins told The Center Square.
Jurors received the case on Jan. 29 after more than three months of trial at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
After the former speaker testified that he expected people to work if he recommended them for jobs, prosecutors played a recording of Madigan saying, “Some of these guys have made out like bandits.”
Chicago attorney Sam Adam Jr. represented Rod Blagojevich at the former Illinois Governor’s first corruption trial in 2010. Adam says the Madigan team took a chance by having the former speaker testify.
“When we had Governor Blagojevich on the first trial, we ended up not putting him on the stand for many of those things,” Adam told The Center Square.
Madigan has pleaded guilty to 23 counts of corruption. McClain is charged with six counts and has also pleaded not guilty.
Prosecutors say ComEd and AT&T Illinois gave out no-work or little-work jobs and contract work to Madigan allies to get legislation passed that would benefit them in Springfield.
In 2023, McClain and three others were convicted in the related ComEd Four trial, and ComEd agreed to pay $200 million in fines as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with prosecutors.
AT&T Illinois agreed to pay $23 million as part of a deferred prosecution agreement in 2022.
Madigan and McClain are also accused of using Madigan’s public office to illegally steer business to his private law firm, Madigan & Getzendanner.
Madigan, D-Chicago, served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021 and was speaker for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. He chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois for 23 years. Madigan also led the 13th Ward Democratic Organization in Chicago and served as 13th Ward committeeman.
McClain, D-Quincy, worked as a lobbyist after serving as an Illinois state representative from 1973 to 1982.
Jury deliberations are scheduled to resume Monday morning in the case of the United States of America v. Michael Madigan and Michael McClain.
