A close confidant of House Speaker Michael Madigan and three others pleaded not guilty in federal court Wednesday, two weeks after a grand jury accused them of a long-running bribery scheme designed to curry favor with the powerful Southwest Side Democrat.
Lobbyist Michael McClain, onetime ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, ex-ComEd vice president John Hooker and former City Club President Jay Doherty all appeared by video before U.S. District Judge Harry Leinenweber.
Some of the defendants appeared by themselves on screen. Hooker wore a mask at times. McClain was seated in front of a large bookshelf. Doherty appeared along with his attorney. Leinenweber appeared on-screen in front of what appeared to be photos of Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush.
As he began the hearing, Leinenweber noted that he once served in the Illinois General Assembly at the same time as McClain, though he said he did not expect that to be an issue.
The remote hearing due to the coronavirus pandemic meant the four defendants did not have to stroll past what likely would have been a horde of reporters and cameras at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. However, their defense attorneys had already issued combative statements declaring their innocence.
The 50-page indictment filed last month does not accuse Madigan of a crime. But in the time since its filing, several House Democrats have said they won’t vote for Madigan to keep the speaker’s gavel. On Tuesday, state Rep. Kathleen Willis became the first House Democratic leader to break ranks with Madigan.
A special legislative panel looking into Madigan’s dealings with ComEd also released hundreds of pages of emails and other documents last week shedding further light on the federal investigation.
Meanwhile, Madigan has repeatedly denied wrongdoing, insisting that “helping people find jobs is not a crime.”
McClain, Pramaggiore, Hooker and Doherty are each charged with bribery conspiracy, bribery and willfully falsifying ComEd books and records. ComEd was also charged earlier this year with bribery, entering into a so-called deferred-prosecution agreement that could lead to its bribery charge being dismissed. Another ex-ComEd executive, Fidel Marquez, has pleaded guilty to a bribery conspiracy and agreed to cooperate with federal prosecutors.
The latest indictment alleges McClain, Pramaggiore, Hooker and Doherty arranged for Madigan’s associates and allies to get jobs, contracts and money — even while doing little or no work — “for the purpose of influencing and rewarding” Madigan.
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It focuses on the retention of the Reyes Kurson law firm, the favoring of intern applicants from Madigan’s 13th Ward, Madigan’s attempt to have former McPier CEO Juan Ochoa appointed to ComEd’s board of directors and the hiring of other individuals associated with Madigan. It also says the four would conceal the nature of their conduct by referring to Madigan not by name, but as “our friend” or “a friend of ours.”
The indictment alleged payments totaling more than $2 million between Jan. 27, 2014, and May 3, 2019, were made to Doherty’s firm, Jay D. Doherty & Associates. Then, it said Doherty made $256,000 in payments to an unnamed individual identified by the Chicago Sun-Times as former Ald. Frank Olivo, $325,000 in payments to a second unnamed individual, and $144,000 in payments to a third.
It said potential intern applicants from the 13th Ward identified by McClain did not need to compete against the general intern pool in ComEd’s internship program. They allegedly received favorable treatment and did not have to meet certain academic requirements.
It alleged Pramaggiore signed a false document in support of the renewal of a contract for Doherty’s firm, making it falsely seem the large amount of money paid to it was for its “unique insight & perspective to promote ComEd and its business matters.” The indictment also expanded on a notorious quote from the ComEd bribery case, in which McClain complained about efforts to cut back on the number of hours worked by the Reyes Kurson law firm.
He allegedly told Pramaggiore and Hooker in an email that, “I know the drill and so do you,” and that “Our Friend will call me and then I will call you. Is this a drill we must go through?”
“I just do not understand why we have to spend valuable minutes on items like this when we know it will provoke a reaction from our Friend,” McClain allegedly wrote.
Contributing: Rachel Hinton, Mark Brown and Tim Novak
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