Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore leaves the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse after being sentenced to two years in prison on July 21, 2025. (Eileen T. Meslar/Chicago Tribune)
By Jason Meisner | Chicago Tribune
Just hours after hearing arguments, a Chicago federal appeals court on Tuesday announced it will grant new trials to former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore and lobbyist Michael McClain and ordered them released from prison on bond.
The extraordinary development comes nearly three years after Pramaggiore and McClain were convicted as part of the landmark “ComEd Four” case alleging a conspiracy to bribe then-House Speaker Michael Madigan.
“Both Pramaggiore and McClain are entitled to release,” the order from the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals said. “The United States must make arrangements to release Pramaggiore and McClain from federal custody forthwith.”
The appeals court said a written opinion on the order for a new trial will be filed at a later date. It’s unclear whether the U.S. attorney’s office would go forward with the case, given the new legal landscape and the age of the defendants.
A spokesman for the U.S. attorney’s office had no immediate comment.
In an emailed statement, Pramaggiore’s spokesperson, Mark Herr, thanked the 7th Circuit for its swift decision to order her release pending the written opinion.
“It has never made sense that Ms. Pramaggiore has served a single day in prison, much less the three months she has served — for ‘crimes’ the Supreme Court said did not exist,” Herr said.
Report continues here.
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