Lake County Gazette

Former state representative Carol Sente from Vernon Hills testified in the case of the “ComEd Four.” 

The case centers on longtime associates of former House Speaker Michael Madigan, Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker, and lobbyist and former City Club of Chicago head Jay Doherty. Sente, who left the General Assembly in 2019, took the stand at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse on Thursday noting Madigan’s tactics to compel interested parties to do his bidding.

“He said, ‘Don’t bring that up again, it’s not moving forward,'" Sente testified regarding a bill involving predatory lending Madigan did not like.

He later asked her why she proposed a bill limiting the terms of legislative leaders like Madigan.

“(He asked) if I could explain the bill, and why I was running it,” she said. 

Sente later lost a committee position. Madigan was the speaker for 36 years before stepping down after being indicted on sweeping corruption charges. 

“We were told if we voted the wrong way, it could be used for campaign fodder in the next election,” Sente said. “... It was rather strong.”

From 2009 to 2019 Sente represented the 59th District including the communities of Vernon Hills, Prairie View, Buffalo Grove, Green Oaks, Indian Creek, Lincolnshire, Mundelein, Riverwoods, and Wheeling. "I think moderate legislators are getting lost and that troubles me," Sente told the Daily Herald when she decided to not run for reelection. "Those of us in the middle, frankly, are drowning."

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said ComEd – the state’s largest utility provider – provided $1.3 million to Madigan-linked contractors for so-called “ghost subcontractors” who did no work for the company. Defense attorneys have called the prosecution “overzealous,” Chicago City Wire reported. 

“It’s not a conspiracy, and you know what? It’s not even suspicious. It’s a profession,” Patrick Cotter, the attorney for McClain, said. 

The trial is expected to last two months and is set to feature over 100 hours of audio collected throughout its duration. 

On one tape that will be used in the trial, McClain said, “We had to hire these guys because Mike Madigan came to us.” He used euphemisms such as “our friend” or “a friend of ours” to refer to Madigan, tapes reveal, according to WTTW.

In April 2024, the 80-year-old Madigan will stand trial on 22 counts of corruption involving ComEd and one related to a different bribery conspiracy with AT&T. Madigan reportedly participated in the 2022 election campaign while facing charges, despite losing his leadership roles in the Democratic party and the General Assembly. Also, he has taken the final $10 million from his campaign budget and put it toward his defense fund.