* Jon Seidel…

A federal judge Friday agreed to let the feds delay their prosecution of AT&T Illinois for two years, apparently following the lead set in 2020 by another judge when prosecutors first leveled a bribery charge against ComEd.

Both utilities have now faced charges as a result of the yearslong investigation that led to this year’s racketeering case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. And both have now entered into deferred-prosecution agreements with the office of U.S. Attorney John Lausch.

AT&T Illinois, like ComEd, agreed to cooperate with prosecutors. And Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu on Friday told U.S. District Judge Jorge Alonso he expected that cooperation to be helpful in the prosecution of Madigan and former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza. […]

Meanwhile, AT&T Illinois aims to resolve its own criminal charge through its deal with the feds. If the utility holds up its end of the bargain, including payment of a $23 million fine, prosecutors are expected to drop the criminal charge filed against it. Alonso set a status hearing in the case for Oct. 14, 2024.

The company entered a plea of not guilty.

* Dan Mihalopoulos and Jon Seidel…

For more than a decade, Brian Gray was AT&T’s top executive in Illinois for a critical area — dealing with politicians in a state known for its corruption.

As the director of legislative affairs, he oversaw a stable of lobbyists, and in recent years he also headed the telecom giant’s political action committee in Illinois.

Gray had joined AT&T in 2000 after serving as a military pilot and rising to the rank of commander in the U.S. Navy, according to his online professional networking profile.

But Gray was one of two longtime executives who stopped working for AT&T in Springfield last month after many years as lobbyists, records show.

And sources close to the ongoing federal investigation into political corruption at the Illinois Capitol say Gray was one of the three unnamed and unindicted employees referred to by authorities in the case filed last week against their onetime boss, the former AT&T President Paul La Schiazza.

* Jason Meisner and Ray Long…

The former president of AT&T Illinois pleaded not guilty Friday to federal charges alleging he orchestrated and approved a scheme to funnel payments to an associate of then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for the speaker’s help passing legislation important to the company.

Paul La Schiazza, 65, was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury last week with conspiracy, federal program bribery, and using a facility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity. The most serious counts carry up to 20 years in prison if convicted.

La Schiazza, who has homes in Rhode Island and Florida, pleaded not guilty through his attorney during a telephone hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Jeffrey Cummings. He will remain free on a recognizance bond while his case is pending.

Asked by the judge if he’s currently employed, La Schiazza replied, “No your honor, I am not.”

* Madeleine Doubek, executive director of Change Illinois in Crain’s…

Acevedo was a lobbyist when he took the AT&T payoff, according to federal prosecutors, as was former state Rep. Luis Arroyo when he was caught trying to bribe former state Sen. Terry Link.

Campaign mailers this season claim lawmakers are banned from lobbying their colleagues right after they leave office. That’s technically true, but the key word there is “right.” Former legislators can lobby their colleagues after waiting six months or less if they quit near the end of a General Assembly session. This is one of the weakest cooling-off periods in the nation. It needs to be at least two years.

We need more disclosure and better, searchable databases of lobbyists, consultants and their clients. And what happened to the push to create a searchable database of lobbyists who are campaign donation bundlers? If lobbyist Jane Doe is a bundler who collected $100,000 in donations for candidate John Smith, she likely has much greater influence with Smith than others do.

Acevedo was a consultant for an AT&T lobbyist, so he didn’t have to register. Now he would have to register. I do not understand why the good government advocates continue to ignore this new law. But whether or not the GA strengthens its weak revolving door ban, it ought to include lobbyist consultants in the mix.