Michael Madigan

Michael Madigan, former Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, is currently serving a 7 1/2-year federal prison sentence for corruption. In February 2025, a jury convicted him on 10 of 23 felony counts, including bribery, conspiracy, and wire fraud, for orchestrating schemes to trade legislative influence for personal and political gain. Specific corruption findings include: - Commonwealth Edison (ComEd) bribery: Madigan accepted over $3 million in benefits, including no-work contracts for associates, in exchange for advancing ComEd-favorable legislation. - Solis schemes: Madigan committed wire fraud and Travel Act violations by soliciting business for his law firm and seeking state board appointments for former Alderman Danny Solis and his daughter in exchange for official influence. Madigan was acquitted on seven counts, including charges related to the Union West development and specific bribery allegations involving Governor Pritzker’s administration. The jury deadlocked on six charges, including a racketeering conspiracy count. In April 2026, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld his convictions, describing the evidence of his schemes as overwhelming. Earlier in his career, Madigan faced investigations regarding patronage hiring at Metra in 2013, for which he denied ethics violations, and his chief of staff, Tim Mapes, was convicted of perjury and obstruction in 2023 for protecting Madigan during a related investigation.