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Late Thursday, U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber released
the pool of seven women and five men for the week with
instructions for them to return early Monday morning.
As part of their work on Thursday, jurors sought clarity from
the judge on a couple of issues, including requesting hard
copies of several transcripts. In a separate note, jurors also
asked how much former McPier boss Juan Ochoa was paid for his
role on the ComEd board. During the trial, Ochoa testified it
was about $80,000. He also testified that as he sought the
$80,000 a year spot on the utility's board, he regularly
received updates about his status from Madigan rather than
someone from ComEd.
On trial and charged with conspiring to bribe former House
Speaker Mike Madigan in exchange for his assistance on
legislation believed to be to the utility’s benefit are Madigan
confidante Mike McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore,
former ComEd consultant Jay Doherty and John Hooker, a longtime
veteran of the company who came to be widely regarded as the
utility’s point man in Springfield.
All four have pleaded not guilty in the nine-count indictment,
and in a separate indictment Madigan and McClain also face
racketeering charges, where the two are slated to go on trial
sometime in early 2024.
Over the course of the six-week long trial, prosecutors pointed
to the passage of the 2011 smart grid bill as an instance where
Madigan used his influence to push ComEd’s agenda, with the bill
ultimately paving the way for the company to set a built-in
formula for the rates it could charge customers without having
to face any pushback from the Illinois Commerce Commission.
Through it all, defense attorneys maintained that their clients
did nothing wrong and that the government is now essentially
seeking to criminalize legal lobbying.
But in closing arguments, Assistant Assistant U.S. Attorney
Amarjeet Bhachu called the four former ComEd executives and
lobbyists "the grandmasters of corruption."
Bhachu said the four were careful in the alleged eight-year
scheme to pay out $1.3 million in jobs, contracts and payments
to associates of Madigan in exchange for favorable treatment on
legislation in Springfield that would affect the state's largest
electric utility.
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