Ahead of his scheduled sentencing in June, attorneys for Michael Madigan submitted more than 200 letters of support for the former speaker of the Illinois House.
The letters were written by family, friends and former politicians who spoke of their connections to Madigan.
Former Gov. James R. Thompson, who penned the letter prior to his death in 2020, wrote that he could always “count on Mike to give it to me straight, tell me the truth and stick to his word.”
Thompson, a Republican who served as governor of Illinois from 1977 to 1991, wrote that “there were times when I didn’t much care for him” but “I always respected him, and I have never questioned his integrity.”
Former Illinois House Majority Leader Jim McPike of Alton called Madigan “the finest man I have ever known.”
McPike served in the Illinois House for 18 years, including a dozen as majority leader and worked closely with Madigan. During those years, McPike wrote that the pair had dinner “just the 2 of us approximately 800 times.”
Former head of LaSalle Bank Norman Bobins wrote a letter in reference to his personal relationship of more than 30 years with Madigan. Speaking on behalf of himself and his wife, Bobins wrote: “We always found Michael Madigan to be a man of his word.”
Madigan was convicted in February on bribery and conspiracy charges.
Federal prosecutors on Friday asked for 12½-year prison term and $1.5 million fine.
“The crimes charged and proven at trial demonstrate that Madigan engaged in corrupt activity at the highest level of state government for nearly a decade,” prosecutors wrote in their 72-page memo. “Time after time, Madigan exploited his immense power for his own personal benefit by trading his public office for private gain for himself and his associates, all the while carefully and deliberately concealing his conduct from detection.”
Madigan’s defense team seek five years of probation, with the first year served on home confinement, along with community service and a “reasonable fine,” citing in part his age and lifetime of public service.
Read letters submitted to the court below:
