A longtime Chicago lobbyist has been sentenced to a year in prison for his role in bribing ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Capitol News Illinois reports Jay Doherty was convicted in 2023 along with three other former ComEd executives and lobbyists.
A jury found they orchestrated a yearslong bribery scheme in an effort to grease the wheels for legislation backed by the utility. Doherty agreed to pay a handful of Madigan’s closest political allies through his lobbying contract with ComEd.
In a secretly recorded video played at trial, he admitted the men didn’t actually work for their monthly checks. The former speaker was convicted on related corruption counts in February, and sentenced last month to seven-and-a-half years in prison, though he’s already filed for appeal.
