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Madigan confidant and ex-ComEd CEO among those charged with bribery

Posted November 18, 2020 12:00 am

Chicago Sun-Times

In another blow to embattled House Speaker Michael Madigan, his Springfield confidant, Michael McClain, was charged with bribery Wednesday, along with former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, in a lobbying scheme to curry favor with Madigan.

Also named in the federal indictment are former top ComEd lobbyist John Hooker and Jay Doherty, the former president of the City Club, who was accused of using his consulting company to bill the utility for fake jobs and passing along that money to several Madigan associates.

The 50-page indictment alleges several tactics ComEd employed to curry favor with Madigan, who held tremendous power over the fate of state legislation critical to ComEd.

At the urging of McClain, then a top Springfield lobbyist, and top ComEd official Hooker, according to the indictment, the utility in 2011 hired a law firm - not named in the indictment - to keep Madigan happy and guaranteed it a certain number of billable hours a year even though there wasn't enough work to justify it at times.

Pramaggiore also is accused of appointing former McPier CEO Juan Ochoa to the ComEd board at Madigan's and McClain's request.

• For the full story, visit chicago.suntimes.com.

Anne Pramaggiore

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