Ex-Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan sentenced to 90 months, $2.5 million fine
Courtney Spinelli, Julian Crews, and Ethan Illers at WGN, AP:
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) ā Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan has been sentenced to 90 months (7.5 years) in prison, along with a $2.5 million fine, the statutory maximum.
Madiganās stunning political collapse culminated Friday when theĀ longest-serving legislative leaderĀ in U.S. history was sentenced on federalĀ bribery, conspiracy and wire fraudĀ convictions tied to a scheme to push legislation in exchange for jobs and contracts for his associates.
The former Illinois House speaker wasĀ convicted in February on 10 of 23 countsĀ in a remarkable corruption trial thatĀ lasted four months. The case churned through 60 witnesses and mountains of documents, photographs andĀ taped conversations.
Madigan, 83, appeared in U.S. District Court Friday in Chicago, where Judge John Robert Blakey determined his sentence. The former house speaker gave a statement in court Friday before learning of his sentence.
āIām truly sorry for putting the people of Illinois through this. I did the best I could. Iām not perfect,ā Madigan said. āWhen I look back on my life, being Speaker is not what Iām most proud of. Iām proudest of being a father and a grandfather.ā
āMr. Madigan was elected to serve the people of Illinois, but his actions demonstrated time and time again that his priority was his own personal interests and gain,ā said FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Douglas DePodesta.Ā āThanks to the dedicated investigative and prosecutorial teams, he will now be held accountable for those criminal actions.Ā The FBI remains dedicated to aggressively investigating corruption and fraud to ensure that the public has faith in our democratic institutions and elected leaders who are truly honest and fair.ā
FederalĀ prosecutors sought a 12 1/2-year prison term. MadiganāsĀ attorneys sought probation, contending the governmentās sentence would ācondemn an 83-year-old man to die behind bars for crimes that enriched him not one penny.ā
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D) faces a 7.5 year stay in prison and a $2.5M fine, as he was sentenced for his crimes regarding wire fraud and bribery. This is a very steep fall from grace for the former Speaker who ruled the House for 36 years in 2 separate stints and also the Democratic Party of Illinois.