Former House Speaker Michael Madigan has been indicted on criminal charges as part of an ongoing federal political corruption investigation, sources said.
The once powerful politician has been charged with a racketeering conspiracy and bribery along with longtime political confidant Michael McClain.
Madigan is now one of the most significant politicians in Illinois history ever to face criminal charges, despite having left office more than a year ago. The news is the culmination of one of the most significant, expansive public corruption investigations Illinois has seen in years, already leaving an indelible mark on state politics by knocking Madigan out of power in January 2021.
The powerful Southwest Side Democrat had held his seat in the state House of Representatives since 1971 and served as speaker for all but two years between 1983 and 2020.
The Chicago Sun-Times first revealed in 2019 that the feds had recorded Madigan as early as 2014 at his private law firm, during a meeting with then-Ald. Danny Solis and a developer hoping to build a hotel in Chinatown. In a 2016 federal court affidavit exclusively obtained by the Sun-Times, an FBI agent alleged that Solis agreed to use his public office to provide “private benefits” to Madigan.
Solis later went on to become a secret government cooperator until his work with the feds was first revealed by the Sun-Times.
Others charged in federal court have included former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo and his two sons, as well as former state Sen. Annazette Collins. Others mentioned amid the feds’ investigation include former City Council members Mike Zalewski and Frank Olivo, as well as current 13th Ward Ald. Marty Quinn and ex-McPier CEO Juan Ochoa.