Prosecutors want joint trial of Madigan and McClain on corruption charges – Muddy River News

Prosecutors want to hold a joint trial against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and co-defendant Michael McClain to prevent the two men from blaming each other for an organized crime and bribery scheme that spanned nearly a decade.

McClain, a former state representative and former ComEd lobbyist known for his close ties to Madigan, submitted an application in July to separate his trial from Madigan's because Madigan's defense plans to pin the blame on McClain.

Prosecutors said it made no sense to hold two separate trials against two people accused of working together on the same long-running plot.

“A severance package is particularly inappropriate in this case,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu and his team wrote in response to McClain's motion. “First, the primary charge is organized crime conspiracy. The defendants are accused of conspiring to engage in a de facto enterprise through bribery and extortion.

“The nature of this indictment – particularly the fact that it accuses both defendants of jointly engaging in an organized crime scheme – makes this case a poor candidate for a settlement. Moreover, the defendants are accused of being co-conspirators in this joint enterprise, and a settlement is 'rarely' appropriate in a case such as this.”

Prosecutors also said it would be more efficient to hold a single trial. They said the trial is expected to last nine weeks and that more than 50 prosecution witnesses will appear in court.

“Separating this case would require two lengthy trials to establish the same facts twice,” prosecutors wrote. “As the Seventh Circuit noted, consolidated trials reduce the resources expended by the court, the government, and the many witnesses who will be compelled to testify twice if there are two trials on the same charges.”

Prosecutors also want to avoid assigning blame.

“Moreover, a joint trial would prevent the implementation of a strategy that was predictable in this case: to pin the crimes alleged in the indictment on the absent defendant,” they wrote.

Madigan served as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives from 1971 to 2021, as speaker from 1983 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 2021. This made him one of the most powerful politicians in the state, especially given his role as chairman of the state's Democratic Party. He is charged with 23 counts of organized crime, bribery and abuse of office as part of a federal indictment. Madigan has pleaded not guilty.

In March 2022, Madigan and McClain were indicted on 22 counts of organized crime and bribery for allegedly conducting improper dealings with the state's largest utility company, ComEd. Prosecutors further alleged that he abused his political power to improperly broker deals to his private law firm, Madigan & Getzendanner.

In October 2022, prosecutors filed an amended indictment charging Madigan and McClain with conspiracy in connection with an alleged corruption scheme involving AT&T Illinois.

A jury convicted McClain and three other former ComEd executives and lobbyists on multiple counts of corruption in a 2023 trial. McClain has yet to be sentenced in that case.

The trial against Madigan and McClain is scheduled to begin in October.