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Posted on 06/14/2025 1:43:48 AM PDT by Libloather
The stunning downward spiral of Michael Madigan’s political career ended Friday with a 7 1/2-year prison sentence and a $2.5 million fine for the former Illinois House speaker and the longest-serving legislative leader in U.S. history after he was convicted of trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies.
U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey sentenced the 83-year-old in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Nicknamed the “Velvet Hammer” for his quiet but hard-nosed style, Madigan was convicted in February on 10 of 23 counts in a remarkable corruption trial that lasted four months.
The case churned through 60 witnesses and mountains of documents, photographs and taped conversations.
Federal prosecutors sought a 12 1/2-year prison term.
Madigan’s attorneys wanted five years’ probation, saying he is a good man who tried to do right by taxpayers and needs to be home to care for his ailing wife, Shirley, who submitted a videotaped statement to the court requesting her husband be able to come home.
But Blakey noted that federal sentencing guidelines allowed for a term of 105 years based on findings in evidence — notably that Madigan committed perjury when he took the stand in his own defense.
Blakey was particularly piqued over what he called “a nauseating display of perjury and evasion.”
“You lied. You did not have to. You had a right to sit there and exercise your right to silence,” Blakey said.
(Excerpt) Read more at nypost.com ...
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How do you know he’s a democrat since the AP article doesn’t say?
Oh wait. Never mind:)
One of many corrupt members of our political class
Judge Blakey noted that federal sentencing guidelines allowed for a term of 105 years based on findings in evidence —
<><>notably that Madigan committed perjury when he took the stand in his own defense.
<><>Blakey was particularly piqued over what he called “a nauseating display of perjury and evasion.”
<><>“You lied. You did not have to.”
<><>”You had a right to sit there and exercise your right to silence,” judge Blakey said.
I want to feel bad for his wife, but I’m all out of sympathy for the political class of criminals.
Scumbag tried to use his sick wife to get off scotfree........bigtime loser.
Hopefully that sentence with keep him in prison for the rest of his life.
A Democratic, BTW.
Yea, he’s a Democrat, but in Illinois that rarely matters.... Otto Kerner and George Ryan were Republican Governors who both spent time in the slammer, as did Democrats Dan Walker and Rod Blagojevich. Corruption is a prerequisite for office in Illinois !!
Corruption is a prerequisite for office in Illinois !!
And so many qualify.
It would be good if he could be sent to El Salvador and rub elbows with some MS 13 gang members. Really need to fine tune his game plan for crime..that would be a good place to learn.
I’m in Illinois- he’s a democrat.
And he gets a slap on the wrist. I expected as much. I’m surprised he got THAT much time.
You’re right.
Haha! Sounds like a plan!
Does Ireland have extradition treaty? Predict he will hightail to Ireland to live in his yes that’s right...castle. Remember this East Chicago IN politician who skipped to Greece?
article below b/c behind paywall
Also note again no mention of party affiliation
EAST CHICAGO | Former City Councilman Frank “Frankie” Kollintzas fled the country and a prison term that he warned in a letter he couldn’t face.
U.S. District Court Judge Robert Miller pronounced a sentence of 11 years and four months Thursday to an empty chair at the defense table in his South Bend courtroom after being told the 62-year-old man used either a false passport or a possibly a Greek passport, under the name Fotios Kollintzas, to board a Swissair flight Tuesday afternoon to Zurich, Switzerland.
Kollintzas wrote a letter to the court the day he fled complaining he hadn’t slept well since his arrest in 2003 in the sidewalks-for-votes case and that he didn’t deserve “to go to prison until I die or become an old man.”
The judge issued an arrest warrant for Kollintzas.
U.S. Attorney Joseph Van Bokkelen said, “I will vigorously pursue him.” Kollintzas, however, could find sanctuary in Greece, since that nation doesn’t return American fugitives who receive Greek citizenship, he said.
He said Kollintzas is a native-born American, but his parents immigrated from Greece. Kollintzas’ cousin, Evangelos Kollintzas of Schererville, fled there two years ago to avoid trial on a federal extortion charge.
The judge said Frank Kollintzas’ sentence was a “just punishment” for misappropriating nearly $24 million in public funds five years ago to give free concrete driveways, patios and sidewalks to voters to ensure his re-election and that of the former Mayor Robert Pastrick’s administration in the 1999 primary election.
There was no reaction Thursday to the announcement of Kollintzas’ disappearance from the crowd of his supporters in the courtroom.
A work associate of Kollintzas, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Times Thursday she and another fellow worker last saw Kollintzas Tuesday afternoon. He met with one of his lawyers that day at the city school administration building, where Kollintzas was on the payroll as director of facilities.
Kollintzas apparently left his car in the school parking lot outside an administration building called the warehouse. A member of his family came to drive it away.
His 62nd birthday was Tuesday, and his family had planned a celebration at his home that evening. “But he never showed up,” she said. She said his family told others they didn’t know where he was. “No one has heard anything. This is like a bad dream,” she said.
Van Bokkelen, who was present in court for the sentencing, and Theodore Poulos, lead counsel of Kollintzas’ defense team, both said they suspect Kollintzas fled after the judge sentenced his co-defendants, Edwardo Maldonado, former city controller, and Joe De La Cruz, former fellow city councilman, to eight years and six years in prison, respectively.
Poulos said in his sentencing argument, “I don’t know why he isn’t here, but he continued to insist on his innocence and facing a sentence in such a draconian range... that would put him in prison until age 73 or 75.”
He said Kollintzas would have received the same sentence if he had robbed and wounded a bank teller.
Van Bokkelen said the sentence was fair and a warning to others under investigation to cooperate or face a similar price.
He said, “I think the Maldonado sentence (Friday) did scare him. I think Kollintzas hedged his bets up to the last moment.”
Kollintzas was supposed to have been sentenced Friday along with Maldonado and De La Cruz, but the judge granted Kollintzas a six-day delay because Poulos had to appear in another court Friday.
Van Bokkelen said he doesn’t think that was a ruse. “I think Ted was as shocked as anybody. Ted’s client betrayed him. I take him at his word that he wanted to (be sentenced) first.”
Van Bokkelen said he never considered detaining Kollintzas before sentencing, despite vague rumors he might flee. He said no federal judge was likely to detain someone like Kollintzas who had lived and worked in Northwest Indiana all his life.
The three-hour sentencing — described as surreal by one government source — featured defense lawyers praising Kollintzas’ integrity. “He’s done a world of good,” Poulos said.
The judge ran through the ritual of explaining how he arrived at the sentence, the amount of restitution ($25.5 million) and the right of appeal to an absent defendant.
Assistant U.S. Attorney David Hollar argued that with Kollintzas “getting on an airplane and leaving the country, there was no more powerful statement he could make” in answer to evidence Kollintzas led and organized the corruption that swept the city.
The judge read out a long list of witnesses who implicated Kollintzas in the sidewalk scheme and said that his escape counterbalanced all the good attributed to his private and public good works over the last four decades.
Miller said 25 people wrote him to praise Kollintzas. “He did not return their support today,” the judge said.
I can’t help but notice Madigan’s legal issues all started after his daughter left the AG position in IL
Did she protect him as long as she could - but then somehow couldn’t any longer? Why did entirely leave State politics, seemingly at the height of her political career?
Any IL insiders who can help me with that?
Now let’s see him actually walk into the prison in October. What’s with the wait? Used to hang ‘em the next morning.
I did not know about this guy. Amazing…..
Want to bet he’ll have some sort of “health issue” and request house arrest?😉
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