By Brett Rowland | The Center Square
Federal prosecutors said Friday that they see no reason to pause sentencing hearings for four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists convicted of a multi-year scheme to bribe former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
In May 2023, a jury convicted former state lawmaker and lobbyist Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and former contract lobbyist Jay Doherty in a conspiracy to bribe Madigan with no-show jobs, contracts and payments to associates in exchange for support with legislation that would benefit the utility’s bottom line.
Last month, the defense attorneys asked for a blanket pause on the case because the U.S. Supreme Court agreed to take up a case that could affect the outcome. The U.S. Supreme Court agreed to hear the case of James E. Snyder v. U.S., which defense attorneys argue could upend the ComEd convictions.
Prosecutors fired back Friday. They argued that even if the Supreme Court decision, expected by the end of June, were to affect the federal bribery statute, the four defendants were convicted of other crimes not affected by the bribery law.
“Even if the Supreme Court concludes that Justice Scalia, the pre-eminent textualist of his generation, the Seventh Circuit, and four other circuit courts of appeal had it all wrong, the defendants are still wrong to assume that a decision in favor of Snyder in the Supreme Court would affect their convictions,” prosecutors wrote. “As an initial matter, each and every defendant was convicted on false books and records charges under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.”
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