Madigan ruled ‘through fear and intimidation,’ ComEd bribery trial jurors told

State Rep. Bob Rita during a public opening of BetRivers Sportsbook, the first brick-and-mortar sportsbook approved by the Illinois Gaming Board at Rivers Casino in Des Plaines. (Ashlee Rezin /Sun-Times)

A veteran Democratic state lawmaker who sponsored major gaming legislation in the Illinois House of Representatives told a federal jury Monday that former Speaker Michael Madigan once ruled that chamber “through fear and intimidation.”