Michael Madigan, a former speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives, was found guilty of bribery and conspiracy earlier this year, but his attorneys are arguing that he should not be sentenced to prison.

In a recent court filing, Madigan's attorneys used the term "draconian" to describe the federal prosecutors' recommendation of a sentence of more than twelve years in prison, as Just The News reported.

According to Madigan's legal team, the 83-year-old would be effectively sentenced to life in prison.

On this premise, they are requesting that Madigan be fined a "reasonable" amount and placed on five years of probation with one year of home detention.

Push from prosecutors

Prosecutors, however, said they hope to see the lawmaker slapped with a hefty fine in the millions: "Madigan was in a special position of trust and responsibility to the public," prosecutors wrote in their memo.

"Yet he deprived all residents of Illinois of honest government and eroded the public’s trust."

There were allegations that the former speaker, who was formerly considered the most powerful politician in Illinois, used his position as leader of the state Democratic Party and speaker of the state House to gain financial advantages for himself and his associates through the acquisition of contracts, jobs, and other opportunities.

What he's facing

Federal prosecutors seek a 12-and-a-half-year prison sentence for former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, citing his “steeped in corruption” and alleged lying during his trial earlier this year.

Prosecutors requested a $1.5 million fine over and above the prison sentence for Madigan's February conviction on 10 corruption offenses, including bribery, in a 72-page petition.

“The crimes charged and proven at trial demonstrate that Madigan engaged in corrupt activity at the highest level of state government for nearly a decade,” prosecutors wrote in their sentencing memorandum.

“Time after time, Madigan exploited his immense power for his own personal benefit by trading his public office for private gain for himself and his associates, all the while carefully and deliberately concealing his conduct from detection.”

A split jury

A jury convicted Madigan on 10 of 23 counts after three months of testimony from over 60 witnesses and dozens of hours of secretly recorded audio and video.

However, it was considered a split verdict, due to the fact that the jury acquitted the former speaker on seven counts and deadlocked on six, including racketeering.

The former speaker was convicted of bribery by Commonwealth Edison, which recruited five of his associates on no-work contracts from 2011 to 2019, coincident with ComEd's drive for key legislation in the General Assembly.

The jury also convicted Madigan on supporting counts for helping Chicago alderman-turned-FBI mole Danny Solis secure a lucrative state board job, but acquitted him of bribery.