Illinois’ ex-House speaker charged in $3M bribery schemes

By MICHAEL TARM and JOHN O’CONNOR
Associated Press

CHICAGO (AP) — Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, for decades one of the nation’s most powerful state legislators, has been charged with a nearly $3 million racketeering and bribery scheme. An indictment unsealed Wednesday accuses the 79-year-old Chicago Democrat of leading a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance the political power and financial well-being of Madigan and his allies. Madigan becomes the most prominent politician swept up in a series of federal raids and indictments targeting Illinois Democrats. When he resigned last year, Madigan was the longest-serving state House speaker in modern American history. He was nicknamed the “Velvet Hammer” for his insistence on strict party discipline.