Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced Friday to seven and a half years in federal prison after being convicted in February on bribery and corruption charges. Prosecutors said Madigan worked with others to pressure utility company ComEd into making payments to his associates in exchange for legislative support. He was also fined $2.5 million and given three years of probation. Prosecutors had requested a 12-and-a-half-year sentence. Madigan, who served as House speaker for 36 years, the longest tenure in U.S. history, must report to prison by October 13.
Illinois House Minority Leader Tony McCombie said that the State needs to enact reforms.
“Today’s sentencing of former Speaker Mike Madigan is a stark and shameful reminder of the corruption that has plagued Illinois government for far too long. Justice was served—but the damage to public trust runs deep. Sentences like this matter. They are designed to deter bad behavior and prove that no one is above the law.”
State Senator Arellano, Jr (R-Dixon) said he was all to familiar with political figures using power for personal gain in Illinois.
“Corruption costs plague Illinois politics, which is exactly why I stepped into public service. I saw it as a small business owner in Dixon during the $53 million Rita Crundwell scandal, and ran for Mayor to clean up the incredible damage. I saw it again just last month when a Rock Island County employee stole more than $900,000 from taxpayers. And now as a State Senator, I’m seeing first-hand the consequences of Madigan’s decades-long grip on power and the corrupt culture he fostered in Springfield.