Naughty list includes state lawmakers, county leaders, mayors

The nation’s longest-serving legislative speaker, a state senator and a former Cook County commissioner were on Illinois’ too-long list of corrupt politicians.

Santa’s naughty list didn’t get any shorter in 2025, with Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan going to the federal pen and politicians at the state, county and city levels all getting bad behavior punished.

Ranked as the second-most corrupt state in the nation, Illinois’ politicians stand out in a crowded field for exploiting taxpayers’ goodwill and costing them $550 million a year. Here are some notable public corruption and misconduct cases from the past year.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was found guilty on 10 counts of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud Feb. 12. Jurors found he used his position to solicit personal financial rewards for himself and his associates.

Madigan, the nation’s longest-serving legislative speaker, was later sentenced to seven and a half years in prison and fined $2.5 million on June 13. Madigan is now seeking a “pardon after completion of sentence” from President Donald Trump, whom he harshly criticized in the past.

The former speaker was convicted of conspiring with Commonwealth Edison and AT&T Illinois to provide no-work jobs for the speaker’s associates in return for legislative support in Springfield.

Madigan was also found to have schemed with a Chicago alderman to steer work toward his law firm in exchange for help securing a compensated state board position appointed by the governor.

Madigan’s corruption conviction followed a more than decade-long federal investigation into the former speaker that led to at least 21 individuals and businesses facing related criminal charges.

Former state lawmaker Michael McClain

Former state lawmaker and longtime Springfield lobbyist Michael McClain was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiracy and bribery charges July 24.

The court found McClain guilty of conspiring with the ComEd executives to falsify corporate books in a scheme to bribe Madigan with no-work jobs for his allies in return for assistance passing legislation favorable to the utility giant.

McClain served in the Illinois House of Representatives during the 1970s and 1980s before working as a consultant and lobbyist for Commonwealth Edison. He was Madigan’s confidant and fixer.

McClain denied wrongdoing as a defendant in the “ComEd Four” case before being found guilty in May 2023. No verdict was returned in his trial with Madigan on conspiracy, bribery, and racketeering charges because of a jury deadlock.

Former Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski

Former Cook County Commissioner and McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski was sentenced to four years in prison Aug. 11 after pleading guilty to extortion, conspiracy and tax charges in 2020.

Tobolski pled guilty to abusing his office as part of a scheme to extort a local restaurant owner over their request to serve liquor at events while Tobolski served as the McCook liquor commissioner. He filed a false tax return that failed to include bribe income.

Tobolski admitted to accepting over $250,000 in extortion and bribe payments in schemes involving more than five other individuals, among other benefits such as cigars and $18,000 in free air conditioning for his house. He agreed to cooperate with prosecutors as part of his plea agreement but passed away on Nov. 9 before starting his prison sentence.

Illinois Sen. Emil Jones III

Sitting Illinois state Sen. Emil Jones III admitted in December to lying to the FBI in 2019 about a red-light camera bribery scheme. His deal with federal prosecutors avoids a conviction or the need for a second trial after a jury deadlocked in April over charges of bribery, fraud and making false statements to the FBI.

Jones said he lied to the FBI in 2019 about $1,800 in payments made to a former intern by a red-light camera executive. Jones could be required to pay $6,800 in fines, reflecting that bribe and another.

Jones was charged in 2022 with accepting a $5,000 bribe from a former red-light camera executive cooperating with federal authorities. In exchange, Jones was to block any state legislation that could hurt the company.

In return for following through on the agreement, federal prosecutors are expected to drop charges against Jones next year.

Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin

Former Ford Heights Mayor Charles Griffin was sentenced to four years in prison in January after being found guilty in September 2024 of using more than $10,000 from the village’s general fund for “his own personal and economic benefit.”

Griffin will be forced to pay a $50,000 fine for embezzling funds from the Cook County suburb. The judge found Griffin stole between $10,000 and $100,000 from Ford Heights between 2014 and 2017. He resigned shortly after being found guilty.

Riverdale Mayor Lawrence Jackson

Riverdale Mayor Lawrence Jackson was convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice in November for providing false testimony in a civil lawsuit filed against Jackson and the city by a garbage collection company.

The lawsuit alleged Jackson retaliated against the company by refusing to renew a garbage collection contract held by Tri-State Disposal Inc. It stated Jackson provided preferential treatment to the new contract holder, who had personal ties to the mayor.

Jackson claimed to have never met with the owner of the new garbage collection company prior to being introduced by a city administrator.

But a federal investigation found the company had worked with the mayor’s trucking company prior to the hiring. Jackson exchanged texts with the owner of the company during the deposition. He was removed from office in November.

Former Jersey County Treasurer Katie Abbey

Former Jersey County Treasure Katie Abbey pled guilty to felony theft in June after admitting to taking more than $58,000 from county bank accounts and using the funds for personal gain.

The Illinois State Police Special Investigations Unit found Abbey falsified cash slips and checks, reducing the reported revenue received and pocketing the difference. Abbey now faces 45 days of home confinement followed by 30 months of felony probation.

Other public corruption

• Former Campton Hills police chief Steven Millar was indicted on 41 counts of money laundering, forgery and wire fraud in a scheme to sell guns from the evidence room.
• Former Summit police chief John Kosmowski was convicted of accepting a $10,000 payment in a liquor license bribery case.
• Nearly 375 government employees across Illinois engaged in misconduct related to the federal Paycheck Protection Program during the pandemic.

Corruption costs Illinois

Government corruption cost Illinoisans $550 million in lost economic activity every year, with a $9.9 billion total loss from 2000 to 2017. Chicago is even worse.

Chicago was ranked as the most corrupt metropolitan area in America for a fourth consecutive year in 2023. It led the nation with an average 41 corruption convictions per year from 1976 to 2021.

Whether in treasure or trust, corruption costs Illinois. Vigorous federal prosecution can help curb it, but not much will change until state leaders get serious about ethics reforms. Until then, here’s hoping the watchdogs keep outing the naughty public servants.