Shirley Madigan, wife of former House Speaker Mike Madigan, makes video plea to federal judge before his sentencing
The wife of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is pleading with a federal judge before his sentencing next week.
Shirley Madigan sent a video about her husband, who was convicted on corruption charges, that she hopes will be played in open court.
In the video, she explained that she wouldn't know what to do without him around.
"I really don't exist without him. I wish I could say that I do, but I don't know what I will do without Michael. I would probably have to find some place to live, and I probably would have to find care," she said.
Mike Madigan was convicted of bribery conspiracy, bribery, and wire fraud charges in February, but was acquitted of several other charges after a four-month trial accusing him of running a years-long criminal enterprise to enrich himself and his political allies.
He was convicted on 10 counts and acquitted on seven others, while jurors were deadlocked on six other counts against him. The jury also was unable to reach a unanimous verdict on all six charges against his co-defendant, Michael McClain. The verdict was reached after more than 60 hours of deliberations over 11 days.
Madigan and McClain faced a 23-count indictment in federal court in Chicago on charges of racketeering conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. They were accused of conspiring with utility companies ComEd and AT&T to provide no-show jobs to Madigan's allies in exchange for the speaker's help on legislation. Prosecutors also accused Madigan of pressuring real estate developers to hire his private law firm, which specializes in property tax appeals.
His sentencing is scheduled for June 13.
