Madigan

Michael Madigan, former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, is a convicted felon serving a 7 1/2-year prison sentence at a federal facility in West Virginia. On February 12, 2025, a federal jury convicted Madigan on 10 of 23 counts, including bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud, and Travel Act violations. These convictions stemmed from schemes involving Commonwealth Edison (ComEd), where he traded legislative support for no-work subcontracts for allies, and his efforts to secure state board appointments for former Alderman Danny Solis in exchange for legal business referrals. Madigan was acquitted of seven charges, including certain bribery and extortion counts. The jury deadlocked on six racketeering-related counts. On April 27, 2026, the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his convictions, describing the evidence as overwhelming. Beyond these convictions, Madigan faced earlier ethics scrutiny in 2013 regarding patronage hiring requests at the Metra commuter rail agency, though he denied violating ethics rules. Additionally, his former chief of staff, Tim Mapes, was convicted in 2023 of perjury and obstruction related to the protection of Madigan during corruption investigations.