For years, Commonwealth Edison officials illegally curried favor with longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan — allegedly providing his allies with lucrative contracts and no-work jobs — in order to further the utility company’s legislative agenda in Springfield, according to federal prosecutors.“In short, Madigan wanted, the defendants gave, and the defendants got,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said. “It’s that simple.
McClain allegedly helped to make the arrangements and otherwise worked with ComEd’s leadership to butter up to Madigan — whom the defendants allegedly referred to as “our friend” or “a friend of ours” — by getting ComEd to hire interns from the 13th Ward. Federal prosecutors on Wednesday walked jurors through the extensive, yearslong bribery scheme the defendants are accused of carrying out in order to advance ComEd’s legislative agenda worth hundreds of millions of dollars.
During one recorded phone call between Doherty and Marquez in 2019, Marquez allegedly asked Doherty if ComEd needed to keep paying these subcontractors if they weren’t expected to do work. Beyond the subcontractors, the defendants also allegedly pushed for ComEd to approve a lucrative contract with a law firm run by Madigan ally Victor Reyes, and fought to get Juan Ochoa — another Madigan associate — appointed to the ComEd board of directors.
McClain’s defense attorney Patrick Cotter framed his client’s actions as nothing more than legal lobbying.
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