ComEd trial: hear what a government mole secretly recorded
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan. Seth Perlman / AP Photo
ComEd trial: hear what a government mole secretly recorded
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan. Seth Perlman / AP Photo

Federal prosecutors in Chicago played some damaging undercover recordings in their criminal case against four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists.

ComEd trial: hear what a government mole secretly recorded
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan. Seth Perlman / AP Photo
ComEd trial: hear what a government mole secretly recorded
Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan. Seth Perlman / AP Photo

Federal prosecutors in Chicago played some damaging undercover recordings in their criminal case against four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists.

Mary Dixon: Federal prosecutors in Chicago played some damaging undercover recordings in their criminal case against four former Commonwealth Edison executives and lobbyists. They're accused of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in exchange for favorable legislation. WBEZ's Dave McKinney reports on how the dramatic secret recordings unfolded in court.

Dave McKinney: In the annals of famous government moles in Chicago, add Fidel Marquez. He was the head of ComEd’s government affairs division and has already pleaded guilty for his role in the scheme to bribe Madigan. Marquez has been cooperating with prosecutors, and he wore a wire against the defendants, getting them to talk about no-work contracts the power company gave Madigan’s allies.

Fidel Marquez: I don’t know what they do. I don’t know if I can tell Joe what they do.

Dave McKinney: Here’s one scene. Marquez is sitting at a table at Saputo’s, a well-known political hangout in Springfield. And on this evening, Marquez is talking with Michael McClain, ComEd’s top lobbyist who was also Madigan’s friend, confidante and emissary. The scenario is ComEd is about to get a new CEO, Joe Dominguez. And Marquez is telling McClain that he’s not sure the new CEO will be on board with all of the no-work contracts linked to Madigan.

Fidel Marquez: I just don’t know how he'll react to that. 

Michael McClain: Right. I don’t either. And he could just as easily require something in writing, but I would say to you don’t put anything in writing.

Dave McKinney: To emphasize his point, McClain later told Marquez putting it in writing quote "can only hurt you." Throughout the dinner, Marquez kept pushing McClain, who’s eating pizza and drinking pop, about what to tell the new CEO about the no-work contractors for Madigan.

Fidel Marquez: He’s gonna say how much is this for? What’s all included?

Waitress: More diet for you, dear? 

Fidel Marquez: Please... what are we paying Jay for?

Dave McKinney: McClain sits in silence for a little bit before ultimately saying, quote “it’s a favor.” On the witness stand in court, Marquez said that favor was for Mike Madigan. You also heard Marquez refer to Jay Doherty there, another former company lobbyist who’s also on trial with McClain. Doherty would get a ComEd contract worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and then, allegedly at Madigan’s direction, give out secret subcontracts to Madigan’s political friends. In another conversation Marquez recorded, Doherty was blunt about those subcontractors.

Fidel Marquez: They’re a sub under you and you cut them a check. Do they do anything? Or what do they do? What do you having them doing? 

Jay Doherty: When... Not much is the answer to your question.

Fidel Marquez: Okay. Okay.

Dave McKinney: As Marquez introduced the idea that the new CEO might not want to keep these subcontractors around, one more defendant spelled out the consequences if they’re not renewed. Marquez asked John Hooker, another ComEd lobbyist and co-defendant, what Madigan will do if ComEd drops the contractors.

Fidel Marquez: How do you think our friend will react?

John Hooker: You’re not going to do it? You’re not going to do something for me, I don’t have to do anything for you.

Dave McKinney: It’s hard to hear, but Hooker says quote “You’re not going to do something for me, I don’t have to do anything for you.” In other words, Madigan had the power to hurt ComEd. Dave McKinney, WBEZ News.


WBEZ transcripts are generated by an automatic speech recognition service. We do our best to edit for misspellings and typos, but mistakes do come through.