{"id":2447323,"date":"2025-06-14T14:38:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-14T18:38:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/longest-serving-legislative-leader-in-us-history-given-7-1-2-years-in-federal-corruption-case-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-06-14T14:41:17","modified_gmt":"2025-06-14T18:41:17","slug":"longest-serving-legislative-leader-in-us-history-given-7-1-2-years-in-federal-corruption-case-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/longest-serving-legislative-leader-in-us-history-given-7-1-2-years-in-federal-corruption-case-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"Longest-serving legislative leader in US history given 7 1\/2 years in federal corruption case &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">34<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Flongest-serving-legislative-leader-in-us-history-given-7-1-2-years-in-federal-corruption-case-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2447323&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>michael Madigan, the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >longest-serving legislative leader<\/a> in U.S. history, was sentenced too 7.5 years in prison and fined $2.5 million for federal corruption after being convicted on 10 out of 23 charges. The former illinois House Speaker, known as the &#8220;Velvet Hammer,&#8221; was found guilty of trading legislation for the benefit of friends and associates. His conviction followed a corruption trial that lasted four months and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/over-200-italian-mobsters-jailed-in-one-of-the-countrys-largest-ever-mafia-trials\/\" title=\"Over 200 Italian mobsters im...ed in massive mafia ....\">involved extensive evidence<\/a>, including testimonies and recorded conversations. <\/p>\n<p>At age 83, Madigan&#8217;s defense argued that he should avoid prison to care for his ailing wife, while prosecutors sought a 12.5-year sentence, citing his perjury during the trial. U.S. District Judge john Robert Blakey emphasized the seriousness of Madigan&#8217;s offenses and his lack of remorse,noting the disparity between his public persona as a community servant and his actions that contributed to a culture of corruption in Illinois. Madigan&#8217;s conviction was tied to schemes involving utility giant ComEd, where he was accused of securing favorable legislation in exchange for kickbacks and jobs for allies.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">Longest-serving legislative leader in US history given 7 1\/2 years in federal corruption case<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2147758\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><strong>SPRINGFIELD, Illinois (AP) &mdash;<\/strong> The stunning downward spiral of Michael Madigan&rsquo;s political career ended Friday with a 7 1\/2-year prison sentence and a $2.5 million fine for the former Illinois House speaker and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/michael-madigan-replaced-f65049a4334dfc46e3ab48fcacc155e1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history<\/a>&nbsp;after he was convicted of&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/illinois-corruption-trial-lawmaker-madigan-598e993948fd1a2f05a3b80a3da9eeee\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">trading legislation<\/a>&nbsp;for the enrichment of his friends and allies.<\/p>\n<p>U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey sentenced the 83-year-old in U.S. District Court in Chicago.<\/p>\n<div class=\"recommended-stories\">\n<h2>Recommended Stories<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3442053\/two-minnesota-lawmakers-shot-by-suspect-impersonating-police\/\">Two dead as Minnesota lawmakers and spouses shot by man impersonating police<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3441993\/us-capitol-police-protest-arrests-60-people-veterans-demonstration\/\">US Capitol Police arrest 60 people after veterans demonstration<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/3441041\/florida-crackdown-rioters-no-kings-protests\/\">Florida previews fierce crackdown on rioters ahead of &lsquo;No Kings&rsquo; protests: &lsquo;Kill you <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/lutheran-school-receives-special-needs-funds-after-appeal-washington-examiner\/\" title=\"Lutheran school receives special needs funds after appeal - Washington Examiner\">graveyard dead&#038;rsquo<\/a>;<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>Nicknamed the &ldquo;Velvet Hammer&rdquo; for his quiet but hard-nosed style, Madigan was convicted in February on 10 of 23 counts in a remarkable corruption trial that&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/corruption-illinois-madigan-trial-chicago-20cb01b1601edc33e16a576cb84ee296\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">lasted four months<\/a>. The case churned through 60 witnesses and mountains of documents, photographs, and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/chicago-corruption-trial-illinois-politics-speaker-legislative-ea45413ad65ac5dc5704287383a29b59\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">taped conversations<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Federal&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25970058-us-governments-sentencing-memorandum-in-michael-madigan-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prosecutors sought a 12 1\/2-year prison term<\/a>. Madigan&rsquo;s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.documentcloud.org\/documents\/25970063-defense-attorneys-sentencing-recommendation-in-michael-madigan-trial\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attorneys wanted five years&rsquo; probation<\/a>, saying he is a good man who tried to do right by taxpayers and needs to be home to care for his ailing wife, Shirley, who submitted a videotaped statement to the court requesting her husband be able to come home.<\/p>\n<p>But Blakey noted that federal sentencing guidelines allowed for a term of 105 years based on findings in evidence &mdash; notably that Madigan committed perjury when he took the stand in his own defense. Blakey was particularly piqued over what he called &ldquo;a nauseating display of perjury and evasion.&rdquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/palestinian-family-attacked-illinois-hate-crime-trial-muslim-1c94621e19bd5cece7d323fc188f0611\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/sheriff-bribery-conviction-trump-pardon-3a35152ebb86d4ab4a2d3d018c0bda8e\"><\/a><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/commutation-sentence-chicago-gangs-prison-larry-hoover-ea8eb7bd3248d2cf18ee6dfb7576946b\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;You lied. You did not have to. You had a right to sit there and exercise your right to silence,&rdquo; Blakey said. &ldquo;But you took the stand and you took the law into your own hands.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During a&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/illinois-corruption-trial-michael-madigan-3c79d861f765e03f3bffe149bc05a547\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">legislative career spanning half a century<\/a>, Madigan served nearly four decades as speaker, the longest on record for a U.S. legislator. Combined with more than 20 years as chairperson of the Illinois Democratic Party, he set much of the state&rsquo;s political agenda while handpicking candidates for political office. More often than not, he also controlled political mapmaking, drawing lines to favor his party.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, prosecutors said, the Chicago Democrat built a private legal career that allowed him to amass a net worth of $40 million.<\/p>\n<p>Madigan was convicted on&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/business-chicago-illinois-indictments-racketeering-a70ba7aa9a7061c07dbc2297c7f0d18e\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">10 counts of bribery, conspiracy, wire fraud<\/a>,&nbsp;and other charges for ensuring approval of legislation favorable to utility giant ComEd in exchange for kickbacks and jobs and contracts for loyalists, including a Chicago alderman seeking a paid job on a state board after retiring from government.<\/p>\n<p>The jury deadlocked on six counts, including an overarching racketeering conspiracy charge, and acquitted him on seven others.<\/p>\n<p>Madigan spoke briefly before sentencing, asking to avoid prison so he could care for his wife and spend his final years with his family.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I&rsquo;m truly sorry for putting the people of the state of Illinois through this,&rdquo; Madigan said. &ldquo;I tried to do my best to serve the people of the state of Illinois. I am not perfect.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>During a three-and<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-announce-season-2-of-jan-6-saga-after-this-weeks-finale-ended-with-a-dud\/\" title=\"Democrats Announce Season 2 Of Jan. 6 Saga After This Week\u2019s Finale Ended With A Dud\">-a-half-hour hearing<\/a>, Blakey noted the numerous letters sent to the court supporting Madigan. The judge said Madigan was a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/chris-pratt-cried-over-woke-crowds-absurd-backlash-to-comments-about-his-daughter\/\" title=\"Chris Pratt Cried over Woke Crowd\u2019s Absurd Backlash to Comments about His Daughter\">good family man<\/a> and a kind man, helping his neighbors without pause.<\/p>\n<p>But he said, &ldquo;Being great is hard. Being honest is not. It&rsquo;s hard to commit crimes. It actually takes effort.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker hammered home the fact that Madigan has not taken responsibility for the crimes or shown any remorse.<\/p>\n<p>Streicker noted that Madigan, having served as speaker through seven governors, &ldquo;had every opportunity to set the standard for honest government.&rdquo; Instead, she said, &ldquo;he fit right into the mold of yet another corrupt leader in Illinois.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Defense lawyers had called the government&rsquo;s recommended sentence &ldquo;draconian&rdquo; and, given Madigan&rsquo;s age, a life sentence.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;He did not seek to be greedy. He lived a very frugal life &hellip;,&rdquo; Madigan attorney Dan Collins said. &ldquo;The rhetoric wants to make Mike responsible for the long history of corruption in Illinois. He is not, Judge. He is one man.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>They asked Blakey to consider the totality of Madigan&rsquo;s life and work and the need to care for his wife in requesting a sentence of five years&rsquo; probation, with one year of home confinement, a requirement to perform community service and a &ldquo;reasonable fine.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>In a video submitted to the court, Shirley Madigan said she needed her husband to come home.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/premium\/3429332\/heedless-harvard-trump-administration-funding\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong>WHY EVEN LAWFUL DEPORTATIONS ARE BEING SHOT DOWN IN COURT<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I really don&rsquo;t exist without him,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;I wish I could say that I do, but I don&rsquo;t know what I would do without Michael. I would probably have to find someplace to live and I&rsquo;d probably have to find care.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Tried alongside Madigan was his former legislative colleague and longtime confidant, Michael McClain. The jury couldn&rsquo;t reach a decision on any of the six counts against McClain. He was convicted, though, in a separate trial over the ComEd conspiracy last year.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_2147758\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"2147758\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Michael Madigan, longest-serving U.S. legislative leader, sentenced to 7.5 years for corruption<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":136,"featured_media":2447324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP111025158127-1024x682.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[8773,4762,32603,32784],"class_list":["post-2447323","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-corruption","tag-legislation","tag-political-news","tag-us-history"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP111025158127-1024x682.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447323","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/136"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2447323"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447323\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2447327,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2447323\/revisions\/2447327"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2447324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2447323"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2447323"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2447323"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}