(The Center Square) – Referring to him as “Public Official A,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office implicated House Speaker Michael Madigan in announcing criminal charges against utility company ComEd.
The utility, which provides power to much of northern Illinois, agreed to pay a fine of $200 million to end a federal criminal investigation into a years-long bribery scheme, federal prosecutors say.
Under the agreement, the federal government will defer charges, but only if ComEd cooperates with ongoing investigations.
In a news release, federal prosecutors refer to an unnamed public official that is described in a way that runs parallel to Madigan.
“Public Official A controlled what measures were called for a vote in the Illinois House of Representatives and exerted substantial influence over fellow lawmakers concerning legislation affecting ComEd,” they said. “The company admitted that it arranged for jobs and vendor subcontracts for Public Official A’s political allies and workers even in instances where those people performed little or no work that they were purportedly hired by ComEd to perform.”
The formal criminal complaint says Public Official A is the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Madigan’s spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
Madigan is the longest-serving statehouse speaker in the U.S., having served in the position for all but two years since 1983. He also is head of the state Democratic Party.
Illinois GOP Chairman Tim Schneider released a statement later Friday morning.
“The people of Illinois now live in a state where both the Speaker of the House and the Governor are under criminal investigation. Even for a state with a history of corruption, this is unprecedented,” Schneider said. “Crimes of bribery and tax fraud cannot be tolerated from our elected officials. As we learn more about the bribery investigation into Speaker Madigan and the property tax fraud investigation into Governor Pritzker, our hearts go out to the people of Illinois who are once again left yearning for elected leaders who work for them, not for themselves. The Democratic culture of corruption in Illinois must come to an end.”
Schneider referred to a federal inquiry regarding Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s property tax break at his Gold Coast Mansion by removing toilets, rendering the structure “uninhabitable.”
The formal announcement that ComEd is cooperating with federal investigators is a significant step toward finalizing a larger investigation, said Prof. David X. Parker, director of the Center for the Study of Fraud and Corruption at Saint Xavier University.
“It’s a tool to leverage,” he said. “They’re agreeing to continue to help and assist with other investigations that are going on. That’s a huge part of it.”
In addition to ComEd, federal corruption investigations have involved several lawmakers in the past couple years. Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Cicero, pleaded guilty to accepting bribes to protect a red-light camera company in January. In October, former state Rep. Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago, was charged with bribing an unnamed state senator. State Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, was charged with embezzling from a labor union. He’s pleaded not guilty and remains in office.
Federal investigators have also looked at local officials, including longtime Chicago Alderman Ed Burke and other elected officials at the municipal level.
Madigan has not been charged.
