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Chicago Tribune
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
Ex-ComEd lobbyist John Hooker sentenced to 1 1/2 years in prison for scheme to bribe ex-Speaker Michael Madigan
Former Commonwealth Edison lobbyist John Hooker was sentenced to a year and a half in prison for his role in an elaborate scheme to funnel $1.3 million to associates of then-House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for the powerful Democrat's help with the utility's legislative agenda in Springfield. In imposing the sentence, U.S. District Judge Manish Shah told Hooker it was 'imperative to wipe away the notion' that his actions were merely lobbying a public official. 'It is important for the punishment to reflect this was corruption of consequential public policy, far-reaching legislation and legislative functions,' Shah said. He also told Hooker that he could have stopped the scheme — or at least decided not to go along with it. 'It takes courage to speak up, to say no in the face of power like Mr. Madigan's,' Shah said. 'It's easy to say yes when you have the talent and the wherewithal to play within the corrupt system. 'You had the power to stop this,' Shah said. 'To do business with corrupt power encourages it.' Hooker, 76, is the first of the so-called ComEd Four defendants to be sentenced, more than two years after their landmark trial ended in sweeping guilty verdicts. Sentencing hearings for former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and lobbyist Michael McClain, who was Madigan's top confidant, are set for next week. The fourth defendant, consultant and former City Club of Chicago head Jay Doherty, is scheduled to be sentenced in August. Madigan, meanwhile, was convicted in a separate trial of an array of schemes that included the ComEd bribery payments. He was sentenced earlier this month to 7 1/2 years in prison. Federal prosecutors had asked for nearly five years in prison for Hooker. His attorneys requested just a year of probation, citing their client's his age, his lack of criminal history and saying there was zero risk he would commit a crime again. They also submitted dozens of character letters from people of all walks of life attesting to Hooker's history of generosity and selflessness. But in asking for a 56-month prison term, prosecutors wrote that Hooker — a top internal lobbyist at ComEd known for his quippy 'Hookerisms' such as: 'That which is understood need not be mentioned' — was instrumental in devising the plan to funnel the payments to ghost 'subcontractors' who were actually cronies in the 13th Ward organization Madigan ran. Hooker was even captured on an FBI wiretap bragging about the arrangement with McClain. 'We came up with this plan and between him, our friend, and, uh, Tim (Mapes), and the alderman (Frank Olivo), they thought it was great,' Hooker told McClain on the recording. 'Hooker's criminal conduct, designed to give ComEd an improper 'leg up' in its legislation, is extremely serious, as he deceived internal auditors, rate payers and shareholders and abused the highest levels of state government,' wrote Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Streicker, Diane MacArthur and Julia Schwartz in their 52-page filing. Prosecutors also said Hooker repeatedly perjured himself when he testified in his own defense at trial, including when he told the jury that he hired Madigan's 13th Ward associates for their 'value' to ComEd. 'They had no relevant experience and were not needed by the company,' the prosecution memo stated. 'Instead, their true 'value' was to Madigan.' Hooker and his three co-defendants were convicted on all counts in May 2023 after a two-month trial. Shah later tossed some of those counts due to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling last year, but denied defense requests to delay the sentencing hearings any further. In addition to the scheme to pay Madigan-related subcontractors, prosecutors alleged ComEd also hired a clouted law firm run by political operative Victor Reyes, distributed numerous college internships within Madigan's 13th Ward fiefdom, and backed former McPier chief Juan Ochoa, the friend of a Madigan ally, for an $80,000-a-year seat on the utility's board of directors, the indictment alleged. In return, prosecutors alleged, Madigan used his influence over the General Assembly to help ComEd score a series of huge legislative victories that not only rescued the company from financial instability but led to record-breaking, billion-dollar profits. Among them was the 2011 smart grid bill that set a built-in formula for the rates ComEd could charge customers, avoiding battles with the Illinois Commerce Commission, according to the charges. ComEd also leaned on Madigan's office to help pass the Future Energy Jobs Act in 2016, which kept the formula rate in place and also rescued two nuclear plants run by an affiliated company, Exelon Generation. In her 71-page sentencing filing, Hooker's attorney, Jacqueline Jacobson, chronicled his inspirational life story, rising from the violence and poverty of Chicago's West Side and later battling the 'pervasive discrimination of corporate America in the 1960s' to become a top executive at a Fortune 500 utility. Jacobson also downplayed the seriousness of Hooker's offense, writing that he 'faces jail for books and records violations that occurred five years after he retired from ComEd, for which he received no benefit.' 'From acting as a surrogate father, to serving as a role model, to helping neighbors and friends, John has dedicated his life to changing people's lives for the better,' the defense memo stated. 'The guilty verdict is the antithesis to an otherwise praiseworthy life filled with repeated and continuous good deeds, selflessness, and ethical conduct.' At trial, defense attorneys argued repeatedly that the government is seeking to criminalize legal lobbying and job recommendations that are at the heart of the state's legitimate political system. They ripped the government's star witness, former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez, as a liar and opportunist who was so terrified when FBI agents confronted him in January 2019 that he flipped without even consulting a lawyer and agreed to secretly record his friends. Marquez testified in March 2023 that the roster of 'subcontractors' hired by ComEd was curated by McClain and read like a who's who of Madigan's vaunted political operation, including two legendary precinct captains, a former assistant majority leader in the House and two former Chicago aldermen at the center of Madigan's Southwest Side base of power. Over the course of eight years, ComEd paid them hundreds of thousands of dollars, even though they had no particular expertise and ultimately did virtually no work for the utility. Some seemed to be downright incompetent, Marquez told the jury. On cross-examination, Marquez, who pleaded guilty to bribery conspiracy and is awaiting sentencing, acknowledged that there was 'no guarantee' that Madigan was going to help pass ComEd bills, but added that the company still tried to make him happy because 'not doing it would cause us to be negatively looked on by' the speaker. He also admitted that he initially told the FBI he didn't believe any of it was bribery. 'I know that they were brought on as a favor to Michael Madigan,' Marquez testified on direct examination. 'For Madigan to see ComEd positively. So that he could perhaps be helpful for our legislative agenda in Springfield.' Hooker, meanwhile, took a huge risk and testified in his own defense. Under questioning by McClain's attorney, Patrick Cotter, Hooker agreed that the scheme as alleged by prosecutors sounded preposterous. 'In all your years of experience, did you ever think for one minute that Mike Madigan would risk his speakership and his power to get a few more people some jobs at ComEd?' Cotter asked, his voice rising to a shout. 'Some summer interns? … Anybody?' 'No, I did not,' Hooker answered. 'It's a crazy idea, isn't it?' Cotter shot back. 'It's a bad idea,' Hooker agreed. Hooker was also taken through transcripts, read in court line by line, of the wiretapped recordings at the center of the case, explaining what he meant down to the word. He was even at one point asked to explain why he laughed at certain points in the calls. McClain, in one of the recordings, for instance, told Hooker: 'We had to hire these guys because Mike Madigan came to us. It's that simple.' Hooker testified he didn't believe it was true that they 'had' to hire anyone. 'To me, that's just me and McClain joshing around,' he said. In their memo Monday, prosecutors singled out that statement Hooker made in court and said it was an obvious lie. 'Hooker verbally agreed with (McClain) when he thought nobody was listening,' prosecutors wrote. 'His agreement is consistent with the behavior of the conspirators who continued to advocate for the payment of the subcontractors to prevent Madigan from taking retributive action against ComEd.' Hooker's lawyers denied that he lied about that or anything else, arguing in their memo that he should not be punished for exercising his constitutional right to testify and that failing to recall past events accurately is not enough to prove perjury. 'The obstruction of justice enhancement requires a finding of willfulness, not confusion, mistake, or faulty memory,' Jacobson wrote.
Yahoo
11-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Daywatch: Troubled Cook County tech firm used insider lobbyist
Good morning, Chicago. As a fledgling tech contractor looking to build its business in the insular world of Cook County politics, Texas-based Tyler Technologies turned to one of Illinois' most well-connected lobbyists to get the job done. In 2016, Jay Doherty not only lobbied Chicago, Cook County and state agencies, he was also the longtime president of the City Club of Chicago, a popular nonprofit civic organization. Doherty would be convicted in 2023 of conspiracy in a scandal involving one of his other clients, Commonwealth Edison. It was part of a series of linked cases that ultimately ended Madigan's decades-long run as speaker. There is no direct connection between Doherty's work for ComEd and what he did for Tyler. Unlike Tyler's efforts seeking contract opportunities, the ComEd case detailed a vast criminal scheme of bribery and influence peddling as part of the utility's efforts to get legislation passed. But interviews and records about Doherty's work for Tyler and details from his 2023 trial reveal striking parallels in how he repeatedly smoothed paths for both clients, including creating informal interactions at City Club events attended by government officials so the two sides could discuss business outside the office. Here are the top stories you need to know to start your day, including: why an alderman wants to give the City Council power to ban short-term rentals, the cost-cutting measures Northwestern University is implementing and our summer books guide. Today's eNewspaper edition | Subscribe to more newsletters | Asking Eric | Horoscopes | Puzzles & Games | Today in History Los Angeles police swiftly enforced a downtown curfew last night, making arrests moments after it took effect, while deploying officers on horseback and using crowd control projectiles to break up a group of hundreds demonstrating against President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown. Members of the National Guard stood watch behind plastic shields, but did not appear to participate in the arrests. Trump says he will 'liberate' Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army Elon Musk backs off from feud with Trump, saying he regrets social media posts that 'went too far' The Chicago-based American Medical Association plans to ask a U.S. Senate committee to investigate Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s decision to overhaul a key vaccine advisory group, the medical association said in an emergency resolution. As many worry about labor shortages, others are looking to artificial intelligence to fill the void. AI is already being used to scan fields for weeds and pests and then share that data with farmers to support decision-making. It's becoming increasingly good at making recommendations too, such as suggesting when and how much to fertilize, he said. Read parts 1 and 2 of the Tribune series: Cash crops, hidden costs State election officials have informed Senate President Don Harmon that he will face more than $9.8 million in penalties pending an appeal of a case alleging he broke an Illinois election law designed to rein in big money in political campaigns. A federal judge yesterday struck from the court record a reference to former Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan's personal net worth of more than $40 million, agreeing with his defense team that it should have been kept private. Federal prosecutors made Madigan's net worth public for the first time in a response to a sentencing memorandum filed by his attorneys, arguing that the defendant's 'greed is even more appalling given his law firm's success.' If a Far Northwest Side alderman gets his way, Chicago City Council members could gain the authority to block short-term rentals like Airbnb's from popping up in their wards. In an email to faculty and staff yesterday, Northwestern University announced it would implement several cost-cutting measures, including a hiring freeze and budget cuts, due to rising costs and uncertainty at the federal level. The university faces serious financial pressure following the Trump administration freezing $790 million in federal funding in April. Northwestern has reached a moment where these measures are necessary to ensure the university's fiscal stability now and 'into an uncertain future,' University leadership said in the email. In a sense, now is the best time to make a position switch. Or, at least, that's how Bears rookie tackle Ozzy Trapilo is looking at it. After playing right tackle during his final two seasons at Boston College, Trapilo is making the move to the left side. He played some left tackle in college, but re-learning the position is still a transition. What can one say about the new 'How to Train Your Dragon' that one didn't say back in 2010, when it was animated, not live-actioned? And really good? One can say that the remake gets the job done, writes Tribune film critic Michael Phillips. One can also say the job is not an inspiring one. Reworking a familiar, proven narrative in an animation-to-'real'-live-action transfer rarely feels, looks and acts like an improvement. But freshness can be irrelevant at the box office for these ventures. (The 'Lilo & Stitch' remake is heading toward the billion-dollar global benchmark.) Most TV detectives have a gimmick. Just doing the diligent work of piecing together a puzzle isn't enough. And to a minor extent, that's true of 'Art Detectives' on Acorn TV, about a policeman who heads up the one-man Heritage Crime Unit in the U.K. His specialty is crime linked to the art world, writes Tribune TV and film critic Nina Metz. Summer reading, if you ask me, should meander, without a plan, writes Christopher Borrelli. Pick up, put down, misplace, leave crusty with sand or warped with humidity. Fall is for rigor, winter for hunkering down, spring for peering ahead, but the right summer read is a promising dirt road in a field. Located on Route 66 about 30 miles east of Kingman at the edge of the Peacock Mountains in northwest Arizona, the general store was perhaps destined to become another crumbling ruin when the route was decommissioned in 1985. That is, until Bob Waldmire came to town. Waldmire's family opened the Springfield, Illinois, institution Cozy Dog, which is located on Route 66 and claims to have invented the corn dog. Born in St. Louis, he became a legendary figure of the route's lore with his hand-drawn postcards, maps and murals. Both he and the van he took on his frequent route trips served as the inspiration for the character Fillmore in the Disney Pixar film 'Cars.' Route 66 road trip: Catch up on earlier dispatches from the Tribune's Jonathan Bullington and E. Jason Wambsgans
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
US Rep. Jonathan Jackson not endorsing colleague Robin Kelly in her bid to succeed Dick Durbin in Senate
After U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly said this week that Rep. Jonathan Jackson was among 18 members of the Congressional Black Caucus endorsing her Democratic primary bid to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Jackson announced he is not backing Kelly and instead remaining neutral in the race. Despite having 'deep respect and admiration' for Kelly, whom he described in a statement late Wednesday as 'thoughtful, hardworking, and a strong advocate for the people of Illinois,' Jackson said, 'As a general practice, I have decided it is better not to make endorsements during Democratic primaries.' Who will fill Dick Durbin's US Senate seat in Illinois? Here are the candidates. The Jackson nonendorsement comes at an inopportune time for Kelly as she attempts to ramp up her bid in what is expected to be a hard-fought race to succeed Durbin, who is retiring at the end of his term. Kelly's campaign declined to elaborate on what led to the errant announcement, which her team issued Monday morning ahead of an hourlong fireside chat before the City Club of Chicago. 'We're proud of the support we've received from so many of Robin's Congressional Black Caucus colleagues and the strong coalition she is building among voters and leaders across Illinois,' Kelly's political director, John Moore, said in a statement. Aside from Kelly, a seven-term congresswoman from south suburban Matteson, the declared candidates for the March 17 Democratic primary to replace Durbin include five-term U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of northwest suburban Schaumburg and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton of Chicago, who has the backing of Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois' other senator, Tammy Duckworth. 'I understand that this primary season may have raised questions, and I sincerely apologize for any confusion that may have occurred,' Jackson, a two-term congressman from Chicago and a son of civil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said in a statement. A spokesman for Jackson chalked it up to 'a misunderstanding between the members.' Jackson 'was expressing his general support and admiration for Congresswoman Kelly, which may have been interpreted as a full endorsement,' spokesman Robert Patillo wrote in an email. Despite Jackson's 'general practice' of not making Democratic primary endorsements, he did publicly back Rep. Danny Davis for a 15th term last year when the veteran West Side politician faced four challengers in the Democratic primary. The decision to back Davis 'was deeply personal' and 'reflected both personal loyalty and a shared vision rooted in a lifetime of movement-building and mutual respect,' Patillo wrote. 'Congressman Davis isn't just a colleague, he's a longtime family friend and civil rights ally,' Patillo wrote. 'He marched and worked alongside Rev. Jesse Jackson for decades, fighting for equity, justice, and investment in underserved communities. Jonathan grew up seeing that leadership firsthand.' The seat Kelly would give up in pursuit of the Senate seat has ties to the Jackson family. Jackson's brother, former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., resigned the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2012 before pleading guilty the following year to conspiring to defraud his campaign fund of roughly $750,000. Kelly won a special primary and general election for the seat in 2013 and has held it since. In 2023, Kelly supported her predecessor's unsuccessful effort to win a pardon from President Joe Biden, a spokeswoman told the Tribune last year.
Chicago Tribune
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Chicago Tribune
US Rep. Jonathan Jackson not endorsing colleague Robin Kelly in her bid to succeed Dick Durbin in Senate
After U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly said this week that Rep. Jonathan Jackson was among 18 members of the Congressional Black Caucus endorsing her Democratic primary bid to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, Jackson announced he is not backing Kelly and instead remaining neutral in the race. Despite having 'deep respect and admiration' for Kelly, whom he described in a statement late Wednesday as 'thoughtful, hardworking, and a strong advocate for the people of Illinois,' Jackson said, 'As a general practice, I have decided it is better not to make endorsements during Democratic primaries.' The Jackson nonendorsement comes at an inopportune time for Kelly as she attempts to ramp up her bid in what is expected to be a hard-fought race to succeed Durbin, who is retiring at the end of his term. Kelly's campaign declined to elaborate on what led to the errant announcement, which her team issued Monday morning ahead of an hourlong fireside chat before the City Club of Chicago. 'We're proud of the support we've received from so many of Robin's Congressional Black Caucus colleagues and the strong coalition she is building among voters and leaders across Illinois,' Kelly's political director, John Moore, said in a statement. Aside from Kelly, a seven-term congresswoman from south suburban Matteson, the declared candidates for the March 17 Democratic primary to replace Durbin include five-term U.S. Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi of northwest suburban Schaumburg and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton of Chicago, who has the backing of Gov. JB Pritzker and Illinois' other senator, Tammy Duckworth. 'I understand that this primary season may have raised questions, and I sincerely apologize for any confusion that may have occurred,' Jackson, a two-term congressman from Chicago and a son of civil rights icon the Rev. Jesse Jackson, said in a statement. A spokesman for Jackson chalked it up to 'a misunderstanding between the members.' Jackson 'was expressing his general support and admiration for Congresswoman Kelly, which may have been interpreted as a full endorsement,' spokesman Robert Patillo wrote in an email. Despite Jackson's 'general practice' of not making Democratic primary endorsements, he did publicly back Rep. Danny Davis for a 15th term last year when the veteran West Side politician faced four challengers in the Democratic primary. The decision to back Davis 'was deeply personal' and 'reflected both personal loyalty and a shared vision rooted in a lifetime of movement-building and mutual respect,' Patillo wrote. 'Congressman Davis isn't just a colleague, he's a longtime family friend and civil rights ally,' Patillo wrote. 'He marched and worked alongside Rev. Jesse Jackson for decades, fighting for equity, justice, and investment in underserved communities. Jonathan grew up seeing that leadership firsthand.' The seat Kelly would give up in pursuit of the Senate seat has ties to the Jackson family. Jackson's brother, former Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., resigned the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2012 before pleading guilty the following year to conspiring to defraud his campaign fund of roughly $750,000. Kelly won a special primary and general election for the seat in 2013 and has held it since. In 2023, Kelly supported her predecessor's unsuccessful effort to win a pardon from President Joe Biden, a spokeswoman told the Tribune last year.
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Congresswoman Robin Kelly embraces underdog status in bid to succeed US Sen. Dick Durbin
Despite having more years in public office than other candidates in the Democratic primary race to replace retiring U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly on Monday embraced her underdog status in the nascent campaign against a pair of opponents expected to be flush with campaign cash. To take on Republican President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, both of whom will still be in office when Durbin's successor is seated after next year's election, 'you need a fighter, someone that's not afraid,' the seven-term congresswoman from south suburban Matteson said during an hourlong appearance before the City Club of Chicago. It was Kelly's first major public event in Illinois since joining the race last week. 'I've been in tough fights my whole political life. I've been given nothing,' said Kelly, recounting a resume that includes defeating a longtime incumbent to win a seat in the Illinois House in 2002 and emerging victorious from a Democratic free-for-all in a 2013 special primary for her current seat representing the state's 2nd Congressional District. While the field for the Senate seat is still taking shape for the March 17 primary, declared Democratic candidates Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi are not expected to be wanting for campaign resources. Stratton is being backed by billionaire Gov. JB Pritzker and is also endorsed by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, and Krishnamoorthi is a five-term congressman from Schaumburg sitting on more than $19 million in campaign cash. Kelly had more than $2 million in her campaign war chest at the start of April, campaign records show. 'I just hope that voters can look past the money, they can look past some endorsements … and see the policies of my work and what I have done and what I will do,' Kelly said. 'I've always been the underdog and underestimated, but most of the time, I come out OK.' Underscoring the potential challenge Kelly faces in the money race, Stratton supporters on Monday announced a newly formed political action committee, Illinois Blue, a super PAC that under federal election law is prohibited from coordinating with her campaign but can receive and spend unlimited sums backing her. Along with Stratton's previously formed Level Up PAC and the Democratic Lieutenant Governors Association, which has promised to spend seven figures supporting her candidacy, the new committee gives Pritzker, a Hyatt Hotels heir, another avenue to put some of his vast wealth behind his two-time running mate. Kelly has faced off against Pritzker before, defeating his chosen candidate to become chair of the state Democratic Party in 2021 only to abandon a reelection bid a year later when she couldn't round up the votes from party leaders needed to beat the governor's new choice. The congresswoman downplayed the importance of big-name endorsements in the race, even as her campaign announced the backing of 18 members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including U.S. Rep. Jonathan Jackson of Chicago, who represents the neighboring 1st Congressional District. 'If I can get to enough voters and if they're making the decision based on effective leadership experience, getting stuff done … then I'm their person,' Kelly said in a brief interview after the City Club event. During her time on stage, Kelly emphasized both her advocacy against gun violence, including a sit-in on the U.S. House floor with civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis and other Democrats after the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, and her record of bipartisan legislative accomplishments, such as a 2018 measure Trump signed into law that expanded access to dental health grants. Although Kelly said she 'hate(s) to look at his signature,' a copy of the legislation signed by the president during his first term hangs in her office. That experience working across the aisle is important because when an Illinois Democrat comes to Congress, unlike in Springfield where the party holds all statewide offices and has supermajorities in the legislature, in Washington, 'it's not any veto-proof nothing,' Kelly said. But at a time of deep partisanship and with congressional Republicans looking at cuts to safety-net programs such as Medicaid and food stamps, it's also important for Democrats to fight for their constituents, Kelly said. 'I'm going to fight like hell to make sure they aren't successful, and I know I'm not alone,' she said of Republicans, noting that more than one-third of residents in her district could lose access to health care under GOP proposals. The nature of that district, which runs south along the Lake Michigan shoreline and the Indiana border from 43rd Street on Chicago's South Side to Danville in central Illinois, could be a factor in the race to succeed Durbin as each candidate vies for downstate credibility. The retirement of the longtime senator from Springfield risks ending a decadeslong tradition of the state's two Senate seats being split by someone from the Chicago area and someone from downstate. All of the candidates for the seat so far are from the Chicago area and Duckworth is from suburban Hoffman Estates. Pitching her statewide appeal, Kelly emphasized the blend of urban, suburban and rural communities — including 4,500 farms — in her district and the relationships she's forged with leaders in redder areas, including some she said told her they weren't sure at first if they were going to like her. 'It's very important to me that people feel included and seen and heard,' said Kelly, who moved to Illinois to attend Bradley University in Peoria and lived in the central Illinois city on and off for two decades. Krishnamoorthi was raised in Peoria and attended public school there, while much of Stratton's downstate experience stems from her time in the lieutenant governor's office, including leading the governor's Rural Affairs Council. Kelly said she's 'all in' for the Senate race and doesn't plan to circulate nominating petitions later this year for the 2nd District seat. While she's giving up seniority and a chance to rise in the ranks of leadership, Kelly said if she didn't run now for the Senate, 'I think I would always question myself.'
