Feds Seek Documents on Madigan, Allies From Clout-Heavy Southwest Suburb

Michael Madigan
Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, in Springfield. Seth Perlman / Associated Press
Michael Madigan
Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, at the Illinois State Capitol Wednesday, Nov. 30, 2016, in Springfield. Seth Perlman / Associated Press

Feds Seek Documents on Madigan, Allies From Clout-Heavy Southwest Suburb

WBEZ brings you fact-based news and information. Sign up for our newsletters to stay up to date on the stories that matter.

A clout-heavy southwest suburb has received a subpoena from federal investigators seeking documents about powerful Illinois House Speaker and state Democratic Party boss Michael Madigan, according to records obtained by WBEZ.

The village of Bridgeview – whose mayor, Steve Landek, is a Democratic state senator and longtime Madigan ally – was served with the grand jury subpoena on Friday, the records show.

The feds are asking for all of Bridgeview’s correspondences, including internal emails, that involve Madigan and four men who have close ties to the speaker:

  • Marty Quinn, the alderman of Madigan’s power base in Chicago’s 13th Ward.

  • Kevin Quinn, the alderman’s brother who was a top campaign operative for Madigan until he was accused of sexual harassment two years ago.

  • Timothy Mapes, who was Madigan’s longtime chief of staff until he was fired over harassment and bullying allegations.

  • Michael McClain, who was a powerful Springfield lobbyist and Madigan confidant for more than 30 years.

The feds also are demanding that Bridgeview officials turn over “all records related to” Raymond Nice, another veteran campaign worker in Madigan’s Southwest Side ward organization.

Documents obtained by WBEZ show Bridgeview paid Nice’s company $1,000 a month for “business and consulting services.”

Nice also had a $1,000-a-month deal as a “special consultant” for another southwest suburb, Merrionette Park – which received a virtually identical federal subpoena to the one Bridgeview got, on the same day Bridgeview officials were served. The Chicago Sun-Times first reported the subpoena of Merrionette Park on Wednesday.

In December, WBEZ revealed that Nice had worked as a lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison, the giant power company whose efforts to expand its influence in Springfield have come under the scrutiny of federal investigators in recent months.

Nice lobbied together with Jay Doherty, who quit as head of the City Club of Chicago after federal agents raided the nonprofit public affairs group’s offices in the Wrigley Building in May.

In that raid, authorities sought documents about Madigan and ComEd as they probed allegations the state-regulated utility hired multiple politically connected consultants – some with ties to the speaker – under deals that demanded little or no work, WBEZ first reported in October.

Madigan has denied any wrongdoing and said he believes he is not under investigation.

Madigan’s spokesman did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the latest subpoenas sent by the U.S. attorney in Chicago, John Lausch.

And Nice did not return messages.

Bridgeview officials have until March 4 to provide the subpoenaed documents to an agent in the Internal Revenue Service’s Office of Criminal Investigations in Orland Park, according to the records obtained by WBEZ.

Landek, the Bridgeview mayor, declined to comment Thursday.

Madigan had arranged Landek’s appointment to replace a retiring senator in 2011.

The fresh subpoenas in the two southwest suburbs come after months of intense activity by federal agents probing corruption in Chicago and Illinois.

The biggest political player convicted in this investigation so far was former Democratic state Sen. Martin Sandoval, who has admitted taking bribes to serve the interests of the red light camera industry.

But prosecutors in Chicago also have served subpoenas on ComEd and raided the homes of several Madigan allies, including McClain, Kevin Quinn and former Chicago Ald. Michael Zalewski.

Last month, McClain told WBEZ that the feds have asked him to cooperate but he declined to say whether he would do that.

McClain also would not explain what he was referring to in a 2012 email in which he which he sought leniency for a state worker in a disciplinary case, arguing that the man was politically loyal and had stayed silent about “the rape in Champaign.”

Dan Mihalopoulos is an investigative reporter for WBEZ.