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Jury selection is set to begin Tuesday in the trial of former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza, who federal prosecutors allege bribed once-powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation in Springfield.
It’s the last in a series of related trials that have played out in Chicago’s Dirksen Federal Courthouse over the last 18 months leading up to Madigan’s own bribery and racketeering trial, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 8. A jury last year convicted four former executives and lobbyists for electric utility Commonwealth Edison on charges that they bribed Madigan with jobs and contracts for his allies over a nine-year period to help the utility win its legislative battles.
La Schiazza is accused of a similar scheme, albeit much smaller in scale. Instead of dozens of jobs and contracts for Madigan allies, AT&T’s alleged bribery involved the utility funneling payments to one man: former Democratic state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, who was also a subcontractor lobbyist for ComEd for nearly a decade.
Acevedo, who allegedly did little to no work for either utility, already served a brief stint in prison for tax evasion connected to the larger federal probe of Madigan’s world and is expected to testify in the former speaker’s trial.
CNI’s Hannah Meisel is in the courtroom today.
* The Sun-Times’ federal court reporter Jon Seidel…
When the judge asked whether any of the roughly 60 potential jurors had heard of the case, about three people raised their hand.
The judge is hoping to complete jury selection today.
— Jon Seidel (@SeidelContent) September 10, 2024
* Tribune…
Among the new evidence will be testimony from former Madigan insider Tom Cullen, a lobbyist who prosecutors allege served as a go-between for the payments from AT&T to former state Rep. Edward Acevedo. Another witness, former AT&T lobbyist Stephen Selcke, is expected to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the utility’s efforts to get in Madigan’s good graces.
Prosecutors also want the jury to see email exchanges showing Madigan’s son, Andrew, asked La Schiazza to sponsor a nonprofit event in July 2017, less than two weeks after AT&T Illinois’ bill to end mandated landline service became law, allegedly with his father’s assistance.
Andrew Madigan wrote that the idea came “at the suggestion of our good friend, Mike McClain,” a former lobbyist and Madigan’s longtime confidant, according to a prosecution filing earlier this year. La Schiazza forwarded the request to a colleague in the legislative affairs department on July 12, 2017, writing “this will be endless,” according to the filing.
“I suspect the ‘thank you’ opportunities will be plentiful,’” the colleague allegedly emailed back, referring to the recent passage of AT&T’s coveted landline legislation, known by the acronym COLR, which was expected to save the company millions of dollars.
“Yep,” La Schiazza allegedly responded. “We are on the friends and family plan now.”
* Sun-Times…
Prosecutors say that quip helps prove the $22,500 amounted to a bribe. But soon, it’ll be up to a jury to decide whether they’re right. La Schiazza faces trial Tuesday on a five-count indictment handed up in October 2022 amid the feds’ larger Madigan prosecution.
The trial, expected to take three weeks, is the last of a series of trials set to play out before Madigan faces his own racketeering trial Oct. 8. The once-powerful Southwest Side Democrat is also charged in the alleged scheme involving La Schiazza and AT&T Illinois. The utility previously agreed to pay a $23 million fine.
Other key players in La Schiazza’s case include Madigan’s longtime confidant, Michael McClain, and former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo, recipient of the $22,500.
Acevedo, who allegedly did no work for that money, already has gone to prison for tax evasion. McClain faces trial alongside Madigan next month over the AT&T allegations and other charges.
But La Schiazza’s defense attorney argues his indictment is flawed. Tinos Diamantatos has said it “does not allege that Madigan even knew of AT&T’s hiring of Acevedo.” There’s no evidence of a so-called “quid pro quo,” he said, nor that La Schiazza knew he was acting unlawfully.
posted by Isabel Miller
Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 10:13 am
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How in the world does the President of AT&T
get hooked up with these kinds of people.
Comment by Back to the Future Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 12:14 pm
I still dont understand what was so special about Eddie Acevedo. He’s an idiot - and a not terribly useful one at that.
Comment by low level Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 12:31 pm
When Andrew Madigan hit up AT&T for that charitable contribution, his father’s political committees probably had $10 mil sitting in them. Lisa probably had another $3 mil. He could’ve gone to them. Shameful.
Comment by Bird Feeder Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 12:33 pm
Because I’m sure Little Paul just gave Acevedo a $20k no-work contract to be nice
Comment by SportShoz Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 12:34 pm
If this is determined to be a bribe, I’m always a little shocked at the small amount of dollars that can supposedly move the political needle.
Comment by Downstate Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 1:05 pm
I miss the days when the Feds spent my tax dollars prosecuting bribes to fix murder cases and stop toxic chemical dumping…charity emails and Binny’s Beverage Depot signs not so much.
Comment by Annoyed Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 1:53 pm
Kind of feels like stolen valor for an AT&T guy getting a friends and family plan.
Not sure why I remember those old MCI commercials but I do.
Comment by hisgirlfriday Tuesday, Sep 10, 24 @ 7:47 pm