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 The holidays are a time for giving, but Illinois politicians too often are
taking – no matter what the season is.
Here are some of the notable public corruption and misconduct cases from 2022.
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan
Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was indicted in March on federal
racketeering charges.
Madigan allegedly ran a criminal enterprise, exchanging influence on key
legislation for job opportunities for constituents and other allies. Court
documents state Madigan netted $2.85 million in illegitimate funds.
But Madigan denies all of it. He claimed jobs were given to his constituents
because of good recommendations, not illegal influence.
State Sen. Emil Jones III
State Sen. Emil Jones III was charged with bribery as part of a federal
investigation into red-light cameras. He ran unopposed in his 2022 election, but
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has called for his resignation.
Jones is the sixth state senator to be hit with federal corruption charges since
2019 when Pritzker took office. The Chicago Tribune reports a seventh senator,
state Sen. Elgie Sims of Chicago, is also under federal investigation.
State Sen. Michael Hastings
Pritzker also called for state Sen. Michael Hasting, D-Frankfort, to step down.
Hastings’ wife accused him of domestic violence and his former chief of staff
accused him of harassment, both combined have cost the state nearly $150,000.
Former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton
Former state Sen. Thomas Cullerton was sentenced to one year in federal prison
for embezzling nearly $250,000 from Teamsters Local 734.
The Villa Park Democrat will still collect a $2 million pension even after
spending time in federal prison for embezzlement.
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Former state Rep. Luis Arroyo
Former state Rep. Luis Arroyo, 67, pleaded guilty to bribery in May in exchange
for 57 months in federal prison. The former Illinois House assistant majority
leader pleaded guilty to accepting and soliciting bribes to expand sweepstakes
gambling legislation in Springfield.
Chicago Ald. Ed Burke
Chicago’s 14th ward Ald. Ed Burke announced he won’t seek election while under
indictment for extorting two Burger King executives into using his law firm,
Klafter & Burke. Court documents also state Burke talked with then Ald. Daniel
Solis 23 times about extorting the Old Post Office into using Burke’s firm
during renovations.
Other public corruption
2022 also brought these public corruption cases:
Chicago transit employee tried to steal $357K from pension fund
Union boss receives 19-month prison sentence for extorting $325K from film
studio
Chicago-area mayor guilty in red light camera bribery scheme
Chicago alderman from Daley family implicated in bank embezzlement
Corruption costs Illinois
Illinois in 2022 saw a record number of ethics complaints involving conflicts of
interest from elected and unelected officials.
Illinois is ranked as the second-most corrupt state in the nation, with
government corruption costing Illinoisans $550 million in lost economic activity
every year.
By 2016, Illinoisans had the lowest trust in their government of any state’s
residents, according to Gallup polls.
Whether in treasure or trust, corruption costs Illinois. Vigorous federal
prosecution can help curb it, but not much will change until state leaders get
serious about ethics reforms.
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