Opening statements are set to begin Wednesday morning in the trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza, who federal prosecutors allege bribed once-powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield.
HANNAH MEISEL, Capitol News IllinoisOpening statements are expected Wednesday in the trial of ex-AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza , who is accused of bribing Michael Madigan .Opening statements are set to begin Wednesday morning in the trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza , who federal prosecutors allege bribed once-powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield.
La Schiazza approved AT&T's retention of Acevedo in the spring of 2017, when the utility was making another run at crucial legislation that had failed twice. AT&T wanted out from under an Illinois law that mandated the telecom giant provide traditional landline service. The utility said it was costing millions of dollars to maintain an aging wire system and was preventing greater investment in more future-oriented technologies, like cellular and internet service.
McClain, who in 2017 had recently retired from his decadeslong career as ComEd's top outside lobbyist, was convicted last year as part of the "ComEd Four" and is also Madigan's co-defendant in next month's racketeering trial. Prosecutors have relied heavily on McClain's own words in wiretapped phone calls, in which he describes himself as "an agent" of Madigan, both before and after officially retiring from lobbying.
But while the judge in the ComEd case is reviewing arguments for overturning those convictions, the judges overseeing both Madigan's and La Schiazza's cases have not yet been convinced by arguments to nix some of the feds' bribery charges. In La Schiazza's case, prosecutors point to emails in which high-ranking AT&T Illinois employees were discussing their strategy around retaining Acevedo in spring 2017.
But in reply, the legislative affairs director responded that "hope" was not enough for La Schiazza: "I don't think Paul wants this based on 'hope,'" the email said. "We need to confirm prior to executing this strategy." That lobbyist, Tom Cullen, was a longtime Madigan staffer whose name appeared on handwritten notes shown in last year's ComEd trial, which McClain had dubbed the "Magic Lobbying List" in an email printout seized by the feds during a raid of his home in 2019.
Mike Madigan Michael Madigan AT&T Illinois 15290133
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