New Conspiracy Charges Filed Against Madigan, McClain
Former House Speaker Michael Madigan is facing additional corruption charges following an indictment issued Friday.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is facing additional criminal charges, alleging he used telephone giant AT&T to funnel payments to a Madigan associate.
More from the Chicago Tribune:
Federal prosecutors also unsealed a superseding indictment Friday against Madigan and his longtime confidant, Michael McClain, adding allegations they participated in a scheme to funnel payments from AT&T to a Madigan associate in exchange for the speaker’s influence over legislation the telephone company wanted passed in Springfield.
The new conspiracy allegations against Madigan, which were added to the indictment as Count 23, allege for the first time that a direct vote the speaker made on legislation was tainted by a scheme to influence him. Madigan’s attorney, Sheldon Zenner, had no comment.
Also charged as part of the investigation was Paul La Schiazza, the former president of AT&T Illinois, who was accused of orchestrating and approving the payments.
In exchange for admitting guilt and paying a $23 million fine, the charge [against AT&T] will be dropped by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in two years, according to the paperwork filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
After the charges were announced Friday, AT&T released a statement saying the company holds itself and its contractors “to the highest ethical standards” and is “committed to ensuring that this never happens again.”
In February, AT&T disclosed in a regulatory filing that federal prosecutors had notified them they were considering filing criminal charges against its Illinois subsidiary, formally known as Illinois Bell Telephone Co. LLC, involving “a single, nine-month consulting contract in 2017″ worth $22,500.
State records show the company that year had hired a stable of Madigan-connected lobbyists working for the Illinois subsidiary as AT&T was fighting for a controversial bill to end landline service for its 1.2 million customers.
These charges are in addition to the 22-count indictment handed down in March against Madigan and Mike McClain, a former state representative and lobbyist and close confidante of the former Speaker.