Federal jurors Wednesday heard Michael J. Madigan’s allies talking on secret FBI recordings about an “old-fashioned patronage system,” the need to keep Madigan “happy” in Springfield, and how it’s unwise to “put anything in writing” because “all that can do is hurt ya.” All told, prosecutors spent their day playing more than a dozen recordings in the corruption trial of Madigan, Illinois’ former longtime House speaker.
Former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, who wore a wire for the FBI in 2019, continued to occupy the witness stand. Jurors saw their first undercover video recordings since testimony began. Included were some of the most prominent recordings from 2023’s ComEd bribery trial , and Marquez’s testimony mirrored the comments he delivered then.
Jurors saw grainy video of Madigan ally Michael McClain meeting inside Saputo’s restaurant , a well-known Springfield haunt where “Higher and Higher” by Jackie Wilson could be heard in the background. They also saw then-City Club President Jay Doherty hold up four fingers to signal that former 13th Ward Ald. Frank Olivo was being paid $4,000 a month by ComEd.
Marquez made the videos early in 2019, in a bid to avoid prison, after the FBI confronted him with evidence of alleged wrongdoing. His testimony in the ComEd trial helped the feds secure the conviction of McClain, Doherty and two others for scheming to bribe Madigan. Now prosecutors have begun to firm up one of the key pillars of that case, e.
