‘Corruption toll’: Federal jury convicts 4 at bribery trial

Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal jurors have convicted all four defendants of bribery conspiracy at their trial in Chicago that provided an inside look at pay-to-play politics in Illinois that prosecutors said involved the state’s largest electric utility and, at the time, one of its most powerful politicians. The verdicts Tuesday are a resounding win for prosecutors. They sought to prove two former ComEd executives, a former utility consultant and a longtime government insider arranged contracts, jobs and money for associates of then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan to ensure proposed bills boosting ComEd profits became law. The 81-year-old Madigan has been indicted in the case, though his own trial is scheduled for next year. He wasn’t in court during the trial but featured in key evidence.