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A jury convicted former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore in May 2023
of nine counts of conspiracy, bribery and willfully falsifying
books and records.
At trial, prosecutors presented secretly recorded videos,
wiretapped phone calls and hundreds of emails to show how
Pramaggiore and the three ComEd lobbyists were "the grandmasters
of corruption." Prosecutors said that the utility paid $1.3
million in jobs, contracts, and payments to Madigan's associates
over eight years in exchange for favorable treatment on
legislation in Springfield.
In August, Pramaggiore and her co-defendants asked Judge Manish
Shah to dismiss the indictment against them and issue an
acquittal after a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on the federal
bribery statute.
In June, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down part of a federal
bribery statute that makes it a crime for state and local
officials to accept gifts valued at over $5,000 from a donor who
had previously been awarded contracts or other government
benefits thanks to the official's efforts. The ruling narrowed
the federal bribery statute.
A judge has yet to rule on the motion for a new trial. In the
meantime, Pramaggiore got permission to go to Italy.
In September, her attorney asked a judge to allow Pramaggiore
"to travel outside the Northern District of Illinois for
purposes of visiting relatives in the Piedmont area of Italy"
from Oct. 25 to Nov. 5, 2024. Prosecutors didn't object and Shah
granted the request.
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Pramaggiore also asked for her passport, which is now expired,
from the United States Pretrial Services. The judge ordered
Pretrial Services to return the passport, but defendant said
Pramaggiore must return it upon her return from Italy.
The jury that convicted Pramaggiore in May 2023 had sought to
send a message to politicians and others in Springfield.
"We're tired of political corruption," one juror said after
weeks of testimony and days of deliberations ended with
convictions on all counts.
No sentencing date has been set in the case. |
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