Former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan is charged with a racketeering conspiracy and other crimes spanning five alleged schemes. The charges and the details of the 10-year FBI investigation that led to his trial have been laid out for the public in several court documents
Here, the Chicago Sun-Times provides three of the most crucial records: Madigan’s indictment, the feds’ so-called “Santiago Proffer,” and the “Solis affidavit.” The last of the three is named after former Ald. Danny Solis, and it lays out the accusations that eventually prompted him to wear a wire against Madigan and others.
Madigan’s indictment
This is the 117-page grand jury indictment laying out all of the feds’ accusations against Madigan and his longtime confidante Michael McClain.
It is expansive, including accusations from the earlier ComEd and AT&T Illinois bribery trials. But it also makes additional claims that Madigan squeezed business for his law firm out of developers.
Most notably, it holds that Madigan led the so-called “Madigan Enterprise” designed to enhance his power and enrich his allies. It refers to Solis as “Alderman A” and former state Rep. Edward Acevedo as “Individual FR-1.”
The “Santiago Proffer”
Named after a case from the 1970s, a Santiago proffer is filed by prosecutors to establish the existence of a conspiracy and the participation of the co-conspirators.
While highly technical at times, it also serves as a roadmap to a case like Madigan’s. For example, this document details the anticipated testimony of witnesses like Solis, ex-ComEd executive Fidel Marquez and others.
The “Solis affidavit”
This is the FBI affidavit that was erroneously unsealed and later obtained by the Chicago Sun-Times in January 2019. It was originally filed May 27, 2016, days before the FBI confronted Solis with evidence of his alleged wrongdoing.
It was filed seeking a judge’s permission to search Solis’ City Hall offices and other locations, and it lays out much of the case against Solis. However, an FBI agent has since testified that the FBI chose not to execute the search warrants because, if it had, the investigation “would be known to the public.”