FBI mole and former Alderman Daniel Solis arrives at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse for the Burke trial on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023. Federal prosecutors said in a court filing Monday they plan to call former Chicago Ald. Daniel Solis to the witness stand at the upcoming corruption trial of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, marking a key change in strategy on how to introduce secret recordings Solis made during his turn as an FBI mole.
According to the new document in the Madigan case, which was filed several days after the original deadline due to technical issues at the U.S. attorney’s office, Solis will provide “devastating” testimony that adds context to many of Madigan’s responses on the secret recordings and allegedly shows how he was using Solis to get introductions to big-time developers, including the New York-based firm in charge of the Post Office project.
“Solis is expected to testify he understood this to mean that Madigan would convince to appoint him to the state board,” prosecutors said. Also charged in the indictment was Madigan’s longtime confidant, Michael McClain, a former state legislator and lobbyist who is facing separate charges alleging he orchestrated an alleged bribery scheme by Commonwealth Edison.
Madigan is also charged alone with illegally soliciting business for his private property tax law firm during discussions to turn a state-owned parcel of land in Chinatown into a commercial development.