Lake County Gazette

The “ComEd Four” federal corruption trial went for about eight weeks but in the end all of the defendants were found guilty on all charges involving conspiring to bribe former Democrat House Speaker Michael Madigan.

According to the Chicago Tribune, found guilty of falsifying business records and bribery conspiracy include Madigan confidante Mike McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Prammagiore, former ComEd lobbyist Jay Doherty and John Hooker, who was a former company executive who became the utility company’s point man in Springfield. In a statement posted to his website, Rep. Kevin Schmidt said he hoped the verdict would move lawmakers in Springfield to begin working in earnest to bring true ethics reform to state government, which has been dogged by recent scandal involving high-raking government officials.

“Today’s actions in court are an indictment of the culture of corruption which was allowed to thrive under Speaker Madigan’s inner circle,” Rep. Schmidt said. “We must take stronger action to restore ethical behavior in Springfield. If we don’t, the problems will only continue to worsen. Illinoisans should be furious, and we must gather in one voice to demand that this kind of behavior is stopped and prevented in the future.”

Madigan and McClain have also been indicted on racketeering charges and a trial is set for April 2024. The charges are vast, and many relate to the same issues raised in the ComEd 4 case, which centers on claims that the defendants conspired to bribe Madigan while he was House Speaker in exchange for his support on legislation that was being pushed by the utility company.

According to the Chicago Tribune report, the defendants did not offer any comments following the trial. Pramaggiore, who grimaced when the verdicts were being read, did not leave the courthouse for three hours and finally exited at 8 p.m. Her lead attorney, Scott Lassar, was the only person to make a comment involving the defendants, expressing their disappointment and that they intend to appeal.

The defendants are facing five years in prison for each county of bribery conspiracy, and 20 years for falsifying business records. McClain and Pramaggiore were found guilty on three other counts of bribery and that could mean up to 10 years per count, as well.