Illinois Boss Madigan Found Guilty in Mixed Verdict

Longtime Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives Michael Madigan was charged with 23 counts of racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, using interstate facilities in aid of bribery and attempted extortion.

The jury took more than ten days to come to a mixed verdict. Finding Madigan guilty on 10 counts, of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud. The jury also acquitted him on 7 other counts, and finally couldn’t come to a unanimous decision on 6 other counts.

The trial began in October 2024, following a decade long investigation.

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Madigan wielded singular power in Illinois while in office as Speaker. Nothing happened without his say so. On the floor, in committee, candidate funding, district mapping, his presence was felt continually. For 38 years he was Illinois Speaker of the House 1983-2021 (minus two when Republicans had the majority). His tenure in office was the longest of any party leader in any capacity in U.S. history. He weas originally elected to the Illinois house in 1970, and led the Illinois Democrat party for over 20 years.

Nicknamed the “Velvet Hammer”, the punchline after he’d amassed unmatched power in Illinois was that this was the “Land of Madigan” instead of “Land of Lincoln”.

The mixed verdict will allow Madigan and his legal team to claim a partial victory while also providing an obvious reason for appeal.

With the conviction, Madigan is now ineligible to receive any pension benefits from the Illinois General Assembly Retirement System. Former Speaker Madigan is 82 years old.

Comment from Illinois Governor J.B.Pritzker, Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson, Senator's Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth should be forthcoming.