According to the Illinois Policy Institute, more than one Illinois public leader a week for 40 years has been convicted in federal court
PRESS RELEASE from the
ILLINOIS POLICY INSTITUTE
CONTACT: Daniel Radner (312) 607-4977
Madigan gets 7.5 years in corruption case – but Illinois still needs ethics reform
According to the Illinois Policy Institute, more than one Illinois public leader a week for 40 years has been convicted in federal court
CHICAGO (June 13, 2025) – More than three years after his indictment on federal racketeering charges, former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan was sentenced today to 7.5 years in federal prison – where he will be far from lonely. Madigan has been ordered to report to prison on October 13, and will also be immediately fined $2.5 million, the statutory max.
Research by the Illinois Policy Institute shows more than 2,310 Illinois public leaders have been convicted of corruption – or more than one a week – between 1983 and 2023. That’s just in federal court.
Illinois has long struggled with corruption, with Madigan’s legacy reinforcing its reputation as the second-most corrupt state and Chicago as the most corrupt city in the country. Madigan was a major corrupting influence on the state and earlier this year was found guilty of 10 counts of federal corruption charges including conspiracy, wire fraud and bribery.
From 2000 to 2018, Illinois’ public corruption convictions cost the state economy an estimated $550 million annually.
Austin Berg, vice president of marketing for the Illinois Policy Institute and author of “The New Chicago Way,” released the following statement:
“This marks the final chapter in a long history of Mike Madigan’s harmful control of Illinois. Madigan laid the groundwork for many of the challenges the state faces today, including the pension crisis, extreme gerrymandering and sky-high taxes. His impact continues to be felt by everyday Illinoisans,” Berg said. “However, Madigan is not the only culprit and there is still much work to be done to stop Illinois’ culture of political corruption. If federal corruption convictions alone prevented corruption, Illinois would be the least corrupt state in the nation. We need real ethics reform to solve our state’s corruption problem, rather than relying on federal investigators. Laws remain in place that grant the House speaker unilateral power: Illinois lawmakers must adopt reforms now to ensure future abuses don’t happen.”
Illinois Policy Institute experts are available to comment on Madigan’s sentencing results, as well as ethics reforms needed in Illinois.
Necessary ethics reforms include:
- Implement mandatory voting recusals for conflicts of interest. Require state lawmakers to recuse themselves from votes when facing a conflict of interest, with meaningful penalties for violating this rule.
- Stop the lawmaker to lobbyist cycle. Close the loophole that still allows lawmakers to serve as lobbyists while in office and enforce a two-year waiting period before they can become lobbyists after leaving office.
- Strengthen the legislative inspector general. Empower the office to act as a true watchdog, with the authority to issue subpoenas and publish findings of wrongdoing.
- Institute independent redistricting. Implement a new redistricting process for state legislative and congressional seats through an independent, non-partisan commission to eliminate gerrymandering by state lawmakers.
- Limit the speaker’s power. Reform Illinois House and Illinois Senate rules of procedure so no single office can control when bills are voted on, who chairs committees or who serves on them.
- Prevent sitting public officials from controlling party campaign funds. As chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois and speaker of the House, Madigan was able to control millions in party campaign funds, making Democratic lawmakers largely dependent on him for financial support for their campaigns and creating an inherent conflict of interest. Those positions should stay separate.
Illinois Policy released the documentary, “Madigan: Power. Privilege. Politics.” in 2016, which exposed Madigan’s system for ruling with unchecked authority over Illinois politics. The institute’s report, “Madigan’s rules: How Illinois gives its House speaker power to manipulate and control the legislative process,” was foundational for reporting on the former speaker’s political abuses.
To read more, visit illin.is/madiganlegacy.
For interviews or interviews, contact media@illinoispolicy.org or (312) 607-4977.