Three years to the day after a bribery case unveiled against Commonwealth Edison blew the lid off the investigation into then-House Speaker Michael Madigan, a federal judge dismissed the charges against the utility giant as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office.
In announcing the charges on July 17, 2020, prosecutors accused ComEd of orchestrating a “yearslong bribery scheme” involving jobs, contracts and payments to allies of Madigan.
Prosecutors said the utility attempted to “influence and reward” Madigan by providing financial benefits to some of those close to him, often through Downstate lobbyist Michael McClain, a key confidant and adviser at the center of the probe.
