Mike Madigan, Illinois’ former Democratic House speaker, may not have been a household name, but he was dubbed by his constituents as “the real governor of Illinois.”
Madigan has become legendary for the longevity of his career as a Democratic Party leader… and for his corruption.
He resigned in 2021 after a record-breaking 36 years as House speaker, and he was indicted for racketeering just a year later. Now, he just saw his scandal get even deeper, a former chief of staff sentenced to two and a half years.
The staffer, Timothy Mapes, was convicted late last year of lying under oath to protect Madigan.
Prosecutors had asked for as many as five years, given the convictions for perjury and attempted obstruction of justice.
The prosecution told the jury that Mapes had — falsely — claimed to have forgotten all relevant details about the House speaker’s ties to one of his own confidants. They said that Mapes had made contrary remarks during wiretapped recordings from his phone.
The defense said that Mapes lacked any motivation to protect Madigan after being fired in 2018.
Defense attorney Andrew Porter said, “Why would he fall on his sword for a guy who kicked him to the curb three years before?”
The judge had an answer: blind loyalty.
“Your loyalty was misguided, and now you will pay the price for that,” U.S. District Judge John F. Kness, an appointee of former President Donald Trump, told Mapes.
“I don’t understand why. You were immunized by the grand jury, and all you had to do was go in and tell the truth… You knew the testimony was false. … I can’t ignore that finding.”
Despite the prosecution’s request for a five-year sentence, the judge sentenced Mapes to only two and a half years.
Take a look at this shot of Madigan pointing something out to Mapes —
Ex-wife of former Madigan aide says Mapes covered up her abuse claims https://t.co/rZ6ujw3tg4 #twill pic.twitter.com/QXwDwrZJco
— NBC Chicago (@nbcchicago) June 7, 2018
The judge ordered Mapes to begin his sentence by around mid-June.
Mapes, 69, began working in the Illinois statehouse in 1997, and he became an aide to Madigan in 1992.
The longtime staffer last made headlines in 2018, when he was fired amid allegations of harassment. He denies the allegations.
Meanwhile, Madigan has been indicted for allegedly selling public offices. The former House speaker denies all wrongdoing, and he’s set for a racketeering trial in October.
Madigan was first elected to the statehouse in 1970. He was the chamber’s highest-ranked Democrat from 1983 to 2021, and he served as House speaker for all but two of those 38 years.
He still holds the record for the longest tenure as party leader in any chamber of the state legislature.
The Horn editorial team and the Associated Press contributed to this article.