Judge orders Madigan's former chief of staff to report to prison in June

[February 27, 2024]  By Brett Rowland | The Center Square

(The Center Square) – A judge has ordered former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan's longtime chief of staff to report to the Federal Bureau of Prisons by June 11 to start his 2.5 year sentence for perjury.

Tim Mapes, 69, served for decades under Madigan as the clerk of the Illinois House and as Madigan's chief of staff. In August 2023, a federal jury found Mapes guilty of perjury and obstruction of justice for lying to a grand jury investigating Madigan and others.

U.S. District Court Judge John Kness sentenced Mapes to 30 months in prison earlier this month. He ordered Mapes to report to the Bureau of Prisons before noon on June 11.

The judge also recommended that Mapes be sent to the Federal Prison Camp near Pensacola, Florida.

The federal facility is about 60 miles east of Mobile, Alabama, and 20 miles northwest of Pensacola Beach, Florida, in Escambia County. The all-male, minimum-security level work camp was the result of a mutual agreement between the Department of the Navy and the Bureau of Prisons in which the Navy agreed to provide inmate housing in exchange for inmate labor.

"The FPC provides an inmate workforce to support Navy operations mainly at Saufley Field, Whiting Field, Corry Station, Blue Angel Park, and the Naval Air Station, Pensacola," according to a 2022 Prison Rape Elimination Act audit report, which added that, "The work these inmates perform is predominately grounds maintenance and common-labor type work."

Zoukis Consulting Group, which offers federal prison consulting, notes on its website that Pensacola is among the top minimum security prisons.

"The Recreation Department has a wide range of activities for prisoners to choose from, such as basketball, softball, soccer, and flag football," according to the consulting group.

According to the indictment, Mapes acted as a courier exchanging messages between Madigan and former state Rep. Michael McClain, who worked as a lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison after retiring from the House. The indictment alleged that Mapes lied to the grand jury when asked about Madigan's relationship with McClain, even though Mapes had been granted immunity to testify truthfully.

Mapes was fired from his position under Madigan in 2018 after public allegations of harassment. An inspector general in 2019 said Mapes should never be allowed to work for state government again.

ComEd, the state's largest utility, agreed to pay $200 million in July 2020 to resolve a criminal investigation into the years-long bribery scheme. As part of a deferred prosecution agreement, ComEd admitted it arranged jobs, vendor subcontracts and payments in a bid to influence Madigan.

Madigan served in the Illinois House from 1971 to 2021. He served as speaker of the Illinois House from 1983 to 1995 and again from 1997 to 2021. He wielded additional power as chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois.

Madigan, who resigned after losing the House speakership in January 2021, has been charged with 23 counts of racketeering, bribery and official misconduct in a separate case, along with McClain, that could go to trial in October 2024. He has pleaded not guilty.