Illinois is no stranger to corruption, with politics in the Land of Lincoln having long been associated with graft and malfeasance.

That fact was on display again last week when former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan was sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison.

Scheme involved bribes for favorable legislation

According to Chicago's ABC 7, Madigan's sentence was handed down this past Friday by U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey.

It came four months after Illinois' longest-serving House speaker was found guilty on 10 counts of bribery conspiracy and other corruption-related charges.

Prosecutors argued that Madigan arranged for the utility company ComEd to award lucrative no-work jobs to his political allies in exchange for favorable legislation.

ABC 7 noted that while Blakey could have sentenced Madigan to 105 years, he apparently took the 83-year-old former lawmaker's age into account.

U.S. attorney credits his team with securing a conviction

Friday's sentence was welcomed in a statement by U.S. Attorney Andrew Boutros, who said, "Corruption at the highest level of the state legislature tears at the fabric of a vital governing body."

"It was the grit and determination of our team of prosecutors and law enforcement agents, led by our former colleague, Amarjeet S. Bhachu, who served as the Chief of the U.S. Attorney's Office's Public Corruption and Organized Crime Section until earlier this year, that allowed this case to reach a jury and send a clear message that the criminal conduct by former Speaker Madigan was unacceptable," Boutros declared.

"I couldn't be prouder of the strong commitment of our law enforcement partners at the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation," he continued.

"Our Office and our partners remain steadfast in our commitment to vigorously prosecute corruption at all levels of government and hold public officials accountable for violating the public trust," the prosecutor went on to add.

Former House leader: "People demand honest government"

"Federal judges do this every six months with a public official in Illinois," Durkin complained. "When are they going to learn their lesson? You can't cross the line. People demand honest government."

Durkin's message was reiterated by David Greising, who serves as president of the nonprofit Better Government Association.

"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," he lamented.