Prominent lobbyist from Springfield, Mike McClain, who was a key confidant and advisor to the former House Speaker of Illinois, Michael Madigan, received a two-year prison sentence on Thursday. McClain’s criminal sentence stems from his involvement in a bribery conspiracy aimed at the former speaker. As the primary lobby representative for the electric utility company Commonwealth Edison, McClain was a key player in the 2023 ‘ComEd Four’ trial. He was the third individual, among his fellow conspirators, to face sentencing for conviction relating to their roles in the prolonged deception.
McClain, 77, assisted the company in providing employment opportunities and contracts to companions of Madigan, a move that, according to the federal authorities, facilitated significant legislation that the company was promoting in Springfield. U.S. District Judge Manish Shah, while declaring the sentence on Thursday, directly contradicted McClain’s recurring defense that his agency in directing employment recommendations from Madigan to ComEd was a routine and lawful part of his lobbying activities.
The District Judge clarified that while there was ‘nothing wrong’ with establishing beneficial relations to secure influence, this should never have extended to the ‘phony contracts, false invoices, and do-nothing jobs’. He pointed out that these were involved in total payments summing up to $1.3 million disbursed to a few of Madigan’s political affiliates.
The sentencing process in the ComEd Four case was postponed for more than two years, partially to allow Madigan’s independently linked corruption trial to reach its conclusion. McClain was also charged in the latter trial, yet he exited the Dirksen Federal Courthouse acquitted after the jury gave a mixed verdict, with a stalemate on all six counts applying to both Madigan and McClain.
Last month, Madigan received a 7.5-year prison sentence for his convictions on bribery and related corruption offences, with the majority of charges originating from the ComEd conspiracy.
During the two trials, hundreds of calls intercepted by the FBI showcased McClain’s frequent references to his long-term association with the speaker. This relationship began in the 1970s when they were both young state representatives in the Democratic party. In certain pivotal calls, McClain referred to Madigan as his ‘true client’ and portrayed himself as the speaker’s ‘agent.’
Furthermore, McClain implicated Anne Pramaggiore, the CEO of ComEd, in additional affairs, amongst them, the speaker’s advocacy for a political ally’s inclusion in ComEd’s board and extending a multi-year contract for a law firm owned by Victor Reyes, Democratic fundraiser, and friend of Madigan.
Pramaggiore also received her two-year prison sentence this week, preceded by an 18-month sentence meted out last week to former ComEd executive John Hooker. Lobbyist Jay Doherty is awaiting his sentencing in early August, having agreed to being used as a conduit for the clout-driven do-nothing contractors.
After their 2023 trial, all four co-defendants were convicted on all counts. However, earlier this year, Judge Shah dismissed most of the bribery counts, retaining only an all-encompassing conspiracy charge. The sentences issued relate to this charge, along with charges concerning the falsification of ComEd’s books and records in the defendants’ attempts to promote the bribery conspiracy.
Initially, the federal authorities requested Judge Shah to execute a near-six-year prison term for McClain. Nonetheless, lighter sentences awarded to Pramaggiore and Hooker, coupled with McClain’s serious health issues, led the prosecutors to reduce this to a 36-month sentence recommendation, an adjustment announced during Thursday’s court session.
McClain maintained a composed demeanor while the judge delivered his sentence. However, he was seen shedding tears while comforting his similarly emotional family post the hearing, beginning most notably with his wife, Cinda. Later, McClain and his family, along with Cotter, exited the courthouse, avoiding the assembling reporters in the lobby.
The post Mike McClain Sentenced to Two-Year Prison Term over Bribery Charge appeared first on Real News Now.
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