Michael Madigan, the former Illinois House Speaker, has been found guilty on charges of bribery, conspiracy, and wire fraud. The jury convicted Madigan on 10 counts but was deadlocked on 12 others and acquitted him and co-defendant Mike McClain on seven counts. The conviction means Madigan is now ineligible under state law to receive any pension benefits from the General Assembly Retirement System, including any funds he has already received.
The General Assembly Retirement System of Illinois (GARS) sent Madigan notice by mail Thursday that his pension has been suspended following his conviction. The trial centered on five schemes where Madigan and his longtime associate, Michael McClain, leveraged Madigan’s power as speaker to reward political allies and penalize opponents. In one notable instance, Madigan assisted with legislation in 2017 in exchange for utility company payments totaling $22,500 to state Representative Eddie Acevedo for a no-show job.
Madigan’s sentencing date has not yet been scheduled, but he faces up to 20 years in prison for his wire fraud convictions. The conspiracy and bribery charges also carry possible sentences of up to 5 and 10 years, respectively. Following his criminal convictions, Madigan will also now face a forfeiture trial in which he could be forced to pay a significant amount in penalties related to the bribery schemes.
That trial is scheduled for May 5.
Madigan pension halted after conviction
Jury foreman Tim Nessner expressed doubts about the evidence, saying the verdicts were more tenuous than they might appear.
Nessner said the jurors struggled to reach their verdicts and expressed skepticism about the evidence. “There was certainly a possibility there was something dirty going on, but I didn’t see the evidence to really get me over that hill,” Nessner said. Despite the 10 convictions, Nessner expressed conflicted feelings about the fairness of the trial.
“I think it’s unfortunate,” he said. “It’s a scenario of overreach in my mind. That old saying, if you throw enough things against the wall, something will stick—and that seems to be the case here.”
Madigan’s conviction has left a lasting impact, raising questions about the concentration of power in one political office and prompting calls for reform.
Illinois lawmakers are now examining ways to prevent such a concentration of power in the future, including ending the revolving door, enhancing financial disclosure, empowering the Legislative Inspector General, adopting fair redistricting, and reforming House rules. Madigan and his legal team are likely to pursue appeals. The suspension of his pension will remain in effect until the GARS board receives and considers an opinion from the Office of the Attorney General on whether Madigan’s conviction requires the forfeiture of his pension.
