Justice has been served in the state of Illinois.

A former Democratic Illinois House Speaker has been sentenced to over 7 years in prison after being convicted on corruption charges.

Former Democrat Representative Michael Madigan was sentenced to 7.5 years in prison after he was convicted of “trading legislation for the enrichment of his friends and allies.”

The Hill had more details to report:

Former Illinois Democratic lawmaker Michael Madigan was sentenced to more than seven years in prison following a federal corruption trial in Chicago.

ADVERTISEMENT

Madigan, the longest serving legislative leader in U.S. history, will also be required to pay a $2.5 million fine following a February conviction on 10 of 23 counts of corruption.

“I’m truly sorry for putting the people of the state of Illinois through this,” Madigan, the former speaker of the state house, said before the sentencing according to the Associated Press.

“I tried to do my best to serve the people of the state of Illinois,” he said. “I am not perfect.”

His defense attorneys pushed for five years probation, hoping that he could stay at home to care for his wife Shirley, who’s suffering from aging complications.

However, U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey showed little leniency for the 83 year old who prosecutors said undertook corrupt dealings for years with supporting evidence from 60 witnesses and stacks of documents.
“Being great is hard. Being honest is not. It’s hard to commit crimes. It actually takes effort,” Blakey said during the hearing.

Former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan arrives to the Dirksen Federal Courthouse ahead of his sentencing this afternoon.#OnAssignment for @BlockClubCHI pic.twitter.com/RruojgeOkJ

— Colin Boyle (@colinbphoto) June 13, 2025

ABC 7 Chicago had more details to add:

Judge John Robert Blakey spent hours Friday discussing his reasoning for the sentence and enhancements on bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud charges.

“Judge Blakey is sending a very powerful message, not only to Speaker Madigan, but to the entire political establishment here in Illinois. Don’t engage in corruption,” said Chris Hotaling, former federal prosecutor.

The judge also touched on the ComEd Four conspiracy case and whether Madigan perjured himself, when he took the stand. Blakey said he believed he did.

ADVERTISEMENT

Madigan was convicted in February of bribery conspiracy and other corruption counts, including the scheme with ComEd that enriched his allies in exchange for favorable legislation.

“We saw the public get a corruption tax for years and years, and we’re still paying that tax, frankly, when you look at the legislation that was passed,” said David Greising, President of the Better Government Association.

Madigan is set to report to prison at 2 p.m. on October 13.

Watch:

This is a Guest Post from our friends over at WLTReport.

View the original article here.