South Cook News

State Sen. John Curran (R-Lemont) recently issued a statement following the indictment of former House Speaker Michael Madigan.

“Today is an important reminder that no elected official is considered above the law and that State government should belong to the people and it should not be for sale," Curran said in a statement. "Those who would betray the public trust have no place in public service at any level. This lengthy indictment is a good step, but there is a great deal of work that still needs to be done. We must empower our State and Local Law Enforcement Officials with the same investigative tools that Federal Authorities possess, to further root out public corruption in all forms and at all levels of government in this State. Only then will we be on a path to regaining the public trust that has been eroded through years of self-dealing and self-interest.” 

According to a press release from the U.S. Department of Justice, Madigan was indicted on March 2 for federal racketeering and bribery charges. Madigan was accused of using his position to increase his own political power while increasing wealth for himself and his political allies. The 22-count indictment includes charges of racketeering conspiracy, bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion. 

After Madigan's bribery scandal came to light, Illinois legislators passed an ethics reform bill last year which Gov. Pritzker signed in October, according to Illinois Policy. The Legislative Inspector General at the time, Carol Pope, announced her resignation in response to the ethics reform bill.

“Corruption by an elected official and his associates undermines the public’s confidence in our government,” U.S. Attorney Lausch said. “The indictment alleges a long-term, multifaceted scheme to use public positions for unlawful private gain.  Rooting out and prosecuting the kind of corruption alleged in the indictment will always be a top priority for this office.”

ABC 20 News reported that in her letter of resignation, Pope called the office of LIG a "paper tiger" and stated that the ethics reform bill did not go far enough, and actually tied her hands more than they had been before. Pope told ABC 20, "I'm thinking that the legislature knows the limitations of the power of the LIG and that they want it that way. That's why I said I am a paper tiger. There are no real teeth to this legislation the way it is now."

Illinois has a long history of corruption in high places. Former Gov. Rod Blagojevich was impeached and convicted of multiple corruption charges. He served nearly eight years in prison. Former Gov. George Ryan was convicted of racketeering and served five years in prison. Former U.S. Rep. Dan Rostenkowski was  convicted of corruption and served 17 months in prison.