* Jason Meisner…

Timothy Mapes, the former chief of staff to then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, walked into the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on Thursday morning for a status hearing on charges he lied to a federal grand jury investigating the alleged ComEd scheme. […]

Kness set a hearing for Mapes for Nov. 29, when he will hear arguments on pending motions and likely set a new trial date.

Mapes, 67, of Springfield, is free on a recognizance bond. He entered the courthouse Thursday with his attorneys and did not speak during the 15-minute hearing.

An indictment filed last year alleged Mapes repeatedly lied during a March 31, 2021, appearance before the grand jury when asked about Madigan’s relationship with his longtime confidant Michael McClain, who was charged in 2020 with orchestrating a bribery scheme by Commonwealth Edison to shower money on Madigan’s associates in exchange for the speaker’s help with legislation in Springfield.

* Jason Meisner…

Federal prosecutors are asking for 19 months in prison for former Teamsters union boss John Coli Sr., who pleaded guilty to extorting a Chicago film studio boss and helped federal investigators secure a ghost payrolling conviction against state Sen. Thomas Cullerton.

Coli, for years a politically connected and nationally known fixture in the Teamsters, pleaded guilty in July 2019 to one count each of receiving illegal payments and filing a false income tax return, admitting he extorted a total of $325,000 from Cinespace Chicago Film Studio President Alex Pissios. […]

In a sentencing memo filed late Wednesday, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote that Coli’s extortion was “prolonged, calculated and deliberate,” involving regular bribe payments in “envelopes bursting with wads” of $25,000 in cash. […]

Federal sentencing guidelines called for up to about three years behind bars. Coli should be given a significant break, however, because of his cooperation against Cullerton, according to the filing.

The full sentencing memo is here.

* Jon Seidel…

In making his request to U.S. District Chief Judge Rebecca Pallmeyer, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu wrote that Coli “has accepted responsibility for his criminal conduct.”

“Experience in this courthouse teaches this is not an easy thing for a prominent local leader to do,” Bhachu wrote. “It is easy to assemble a busload of public figures similarly situated to Coli in this district who could not bring themselves to accept responsibility.” […]

Though plenty of public corruption cases followed, the only one Coli is known to have a hand in is the embezzlement case that put Cullerton in prison. A federal grand jury indicted Cullerton just days after Coli’s guilty plea in 2019. Cullerton entered his own guilty plea this year, and he was sentenced to one year behind bars. […]

The former labor leader’s sentencing hearing is set for Oct. 26.

* And Sen. Sara Feigenholtz (D-Chicago) says she intends to introduce anti-bullying legislation. From Ray Long and Dan Petrella at the Tribune…

On addressing the lingering issues of harassment and bad behavior in Springfield, one veteran Chicago Democrat said this week she’s pushing for an anti-bullying law that would be added to the ban on sexual harassment and mandated training for lawmakers, staff and lobbyists that were put in place following the #MeToo scandals that began in 2017.

State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz said she intends to propose legislation as soon as the lame-duck period before a new legislative session begins in mid-January. She said bullying “happens as much — if not more” than sexual harassment in Springfield, and that more needs to be done to address the statehouse atmosphere and workplaces throughout Illinois. […]

Another Democratic senator said that — since the #MeToo reckoning at the state Capitol — there seems to be less “actual sexual kind of aggression.” But there is still “bullying behavior,” said the lawmaker, who asked not to be named. “It’s aggressive power behavior, and that definitely is directed more at women than it is at men.” […]

[Sen. Michael Hastings] also has received criticism from longtime Springfield lobbyist Jennifer Walling, executive director of the Illinois Environmental Council. She told the Tribune that during negotiations on several occasions over the last five years Hastings became “extremely hostile” and flashed “hair-trigger anger.” […]

Hastings’ spokesman Ray Hanania said the senator denies such behavior with women, adding that the accusations are a “cheap shot” and that the use of allegations arising from his divorce proceedings amounted to “playing politics.”