(The Center Square) – Past and present Illinois politicians have figured prominently in wiretapped conversations introduced by prosecutors at the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain.
At the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Thursday, government attorneys called nine witnesses and introduced a series of documents, emails and recorded conversations.
In a recording dated April 13, 2018, McClain and former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker discussed an election loss by the daughter of then-state Sen. Martin Sandoval, D-Chicago, who served in the Illinois Senate from 2003 to 2020. Angeles Sandoval ran for a seat on the Cook County Board of Commissioners in 2018 but lost in the Democratic Party primary to Alma Anaya. The sitting commissioner for the district, Jesus “Chuy” Garcia, had held the seat since 2011 but ran for Congress instead. Garcia was elected and has served as a U.S. representative since January 2019.
“You know, Madigan decides to go with Chuy’s candidate, Anaya?” McClain asked Hooker during the call.
“Yes,” Hooker answered.
“He’s only got four precincts in the county ward district, and instead of Sandoval and Mike Noonan saying, ‘OK.’ You know, ‘We understand.’ They started ‘M F-ing’ Mike Madigan, and so then Madigan started calling Mike Zalewski and other committeemen. Well, then Sandoval’s daughter loses. And Marty does not understand probably that he did it to himself,” McClain added.
Telephone conversation between Michael McClain and John Hooker DATE: April 13, 2018
Martin Sandoval pleaded guilty to bribery and filing a false tax return in January 2020 and agreed to cooperate with federal investigators. Martin Sandoval died of COVID-19 on Dec. 5, 2020.
Later, during the same call, McClain told Hooker about Madigan’s decisions regarding the city council seat in Chicago’s 23rd Ward. The alderman at the time was Mike Zalewski, father of then-state Rep. Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside.
“Madigan convinced him that he ought to step down. And then, just between you and me, Madigan intends to have Silvana Tabares appointed as the alderman,” McClain said on the recording.
“I don’t know who, I don’t know that person,” Hooker said.
“She’s a state rep,” McClain responded.
Then-state Rep. Silvana Tabares, D-Chicago, served in the Statehouse from 2013 to 2018 and was appointed 23rd Ward alderman by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel in June 2018.
In a conversation recorded in July 2018, Madigan asked McClain to help find a job for the wife of state Rep. Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago.
“Jaime Andrade came to me and, same story, he needs money. And he had the thought that maybe I could help his wife on something,” Madigan said during the recording.
Telephone conversation between Michael McClain and Michael Madigan DATE: July 2, 2018
In a call recorded Aug. 29, 2018, Andrade told McClain his wife would soon begin working in the Illinois Secretary of State’s office. McClain said she would be in a “good division for her.”
“I think it’s gonna be in the Securities Division. So, she’ll be under the General Counsel,” McClain said.
“Yeah, they’re gonna have her, they’re gonna have her doing research and inventory,” Andrade answered.
Andrade expressed his appreciation at the end of the recording.
“Thank you again, Mr. McClain,” Andrade said.
“Yeah, it’s a real good office. The Speaker jumped all over it, so that’s good,” McClain said.
In February 2019, Madigan asked McClain about a point person for ComEd or Exelon regarding legislation sponsored by state Rep. Ann Williams, D-Chicago.
“Mike, Ann Williams was here talking about a bill that Exelon would want and then like, a bill that the greens and the environmental people would want, and she’s probably gonna carry that, and so she’s anticipating that there’ll be some large-scale negotiating, and one of her questions to me was, ‘Well who’s gonna head up the negotiations, you know, who’s gonna drive the bus on this thing,’ and I didn’t mention your name, but I said that my experience had been that it was ComEd that drove the bus,” Madigan told McClain during the call.
“Right,” McClain answered.
“That may have been because you were coming to talk to me I was just, always viewed you as ComEd. She wasn’t so certain that it would be ComEd because, maybe in her view, the ComEd request is not as significant as something coming out of Exelon,” Madigan continued.
“Right,” McClain said.
“So my question to you, like, I meant to call Williams back and tell her, ‘Here are the people that are going to be driving the bill for the power sector. Do you have an answer for that?’” Madigan asked.
“I can get you one real fast,” McClain answered.
Telephone Conversation between Michael McClain and Michael Madigan DATE: February 20, 2019
Williams has served in the statehouse since 2011.
Two of the recordings played on Thursday involved conversations between McClain and former state Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, who was known as a longtime Madigan ally.
Last month, former state Reps. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills, Scott Drury, D-Highwood, and Lou Lang, D-Skokie, all spent time on the witness stand at the trial of Madigan and McClain.
Current state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, testified for 10 minutes on Oct. 24, but he has not yet returned for further testimony.
Government attorney Diane MacArthur suggested on Wednesday that prosecutors expected to call former Chicago Alderman Daniel Solis as a cooperating witness next week. Solis served on the city council from 1996 to 2019.
In the indictment of Madigan and McClain, prosecutors allege that Solis agreed to help steer business to Madigan’s personal law firm, Madigan and Getzendanner, which specializes in challenging property tax bills for its clients. In exchange, prosecutors claim “Madigan agreed to assist, in his official capacity as Speaker of the House of Representatives, in advising and inducing the Governor of the State of Illinois to appoint Alderman A to a State board that would pay Alderman A compensation of at least approximately $93,926 a year upon Alderman A’s retirement from the City Council.”
Prosecutors allege Madigan ordered information on board appointments, terms and compensation be sent to Solis’ office. Solis is referred to as Alderman A throughout the indictment.
According to the indictment, ”Madigan in return assured Alderman A that he would help him obtain a State board appointment by telling Alderman A, ‘Just leave it in my hands.’” The indictment further alleges Madigan agreed to go to then-Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker in December 2018 to recommend that Solis be appointed to a state board.
Pritzker said in 2022 that he did not remember any conversation in which he was asked to find a position for Solis.
Solis testified as a cooperating witness during the corruption trial of former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke in December 2023. Burke was convicted a short time later on 18 counts of racketeering, bribery, attempted extortion and conspiracy to commit extortion and using interstate commerce to facilitate an unlawful activity.
In June of this year, Burke was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $2 million.
The government may introduce documents and communications related to a Chicago property referred to by federal agents as the “Chinatown parcel.” The land is located on the northeast corner of Cermak Road and Wentworth Avenue in the city’s Chinatown neighborhood. The federal indictment against Madigan and McClain indicates that Solis and Madigan discussed a transfer of the parcel.
Madigan and McClain are facing 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct.
Madigan was a state representative from 1971 to 2021 and served as speaker of the Illinois House for all but two years between 1983 and 2021. He chaired the Democratic Party of Illinois for 23 years.
McClain, is a former state representative, lobbyist and longtime Madigan associate.
When the court returns from recess on Monday, Madigan’s defense team is expected to provide Judge John Robert Blakey with an updated estimate for how long the trial will last. Blakey asked the parties involved for revised estimates on Thursday, Nov. 7. The judge suggested that the 11-week estimate provided last month was “wildly off.” He said jurors needed to be advised so they could plan accordingly.