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1 • Thursday, January 19, 2017 - The Independent
THURSDAY, JULY 23, 2020
ComEd’s bribery admission implicates Madigan Court document shows utility agrees to pay $200 million, admits attempts to influence House Speaker
By Jerry Nowicki
CAPITOL NEWS ILLINOIS
Hours after filing a court document implicating—but not charging—Illinois’ House Speaker Michael Madigan in a years-long bribery scheme, federal officials took to the courtyard of the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago on July 17 to deliver a message to those engaging in public corruption: “We will find you too.” The charges in the document filed July 17 are officially against Commonwealth Edison, Illinois’ largest electric utility company, which has agreed to pay $200 million and to continue cooperating with an ongoing federal corruption probe in order to defer prosecution for a single count of bribery. Per that agreement—which is still pending approval from a judge – prosecution against the utility giant would be delayed for three years and potentially dismissed
in exchange for the company’s cooperation. The bombshell in the report, however, is that ComEd admitted to— from 2011 until 2019—seeking to “influence and reward Public Official A” for that person’s favorable action on legislation. While Public Official A is not directly named in the document, that person is later identified as “the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives and the longest serving member of the House of Representatives.” The current House Speaker is Michael Madigan, a Chicago Democrat who has held that position since 1983, except for a brief stint from 1995 to 1997. The documents did not contain his name or any charges against the person identified as “Public Official A.” At their news conference July 17, federal authorities said the FBI does not name those who are not charged. The implications were clear, however, as federal officials said ComEd “admitted it arranged jobs, vendor subcontracts, and monetary payments associated with those jobs and subcontracts, for various associates of a high-level elected official” in order to advance legislation that would bring the company monetary benefits
that “exceeded $150 million.” This occurred “even in instances where these political allies and workers did little to no work that they were reportedly hired to perform,” John Lausch Jr., U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said at a Chicago news conference. “In many ways, this agreement— including and specifically ComEd’s statement of facts—it speaks for itself,” Lausch said. “But it also speaks volumes about the nature of a very stubborn public corruption problem we have here in Illinois. The admitted facts detail a nearly decade-long
corruption scheme involving top management at a large public utility, leaders in state government, consultants, and several others inside and outside of government.” Later on July 17, a statement issued via a communications firm on behalf of Madigan said he had “accepted subpoenas” at his offices asking for documents related to job recommendations “among other things.” “He will cooperate and respond to those requests for documents, which he believes will clearly demonstrate that he has done nothing criminal or improper,” according to the state-
ment distributed by Maura Possley of the BoycePossley firm. “The speaker has never helped someone find a job with the expectation that the person would not be asked to perform work by their employer, nor did he ever expect to provide anything to a prospective employer if it should choose to hire a person he recommended. He has never made a legislative decision with improper motives and has engaged in no wrongdoing here. Any claim to the contrary is unfounded,” Possley
See MADIGAN, Page 4
Fenton plans graduation procession for Class of 2020 Fenton High School is organizing a July 25 Graduation Procession for the Class of 2020. Interested families can drive through Fenton’s bus lane and take turns walking across a portable stage and posing for photos in front of our main entrance. The schedule involves six time slots grouped alphabetically by
graduates’ last name. The exact times will be emailed to the Class of 2020 later this week. More information will be communicated as we finalize the plans. All questions and comments can be directed to Principal Jovan Lazarevic (lazarevic@fenton100.org). Thank you for your patience. We are proud of our Fenton graduates.
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SUBMITTED PHOTO Bensenville Independent
New apartment building opens
Franklin Properties founders Mario and Rudy Presta (center) cut the ceremonial red ribbon on the new property at 361 Marshall Road, joined by Village President Frank DeSimone (right) and Village Manager Evan K. Summers (left). The 18-unit building has both one- and two-bedroom units, each with all new kitchen appliances and WiFi included. DeSimone had this to say: “The completion of these luxury apartments provide a welcome addition to the high quality housing stock available in Bensenville. Franklin Properties has been great to work with throughout this process and we are elated to have them reinvest into the community with these wonderfully designed apartments.”
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