As part of his plea deal with the government, former ComEd executive Fidel Marquez not only wore a wire but also a body camera to capture his interactions with the defendants who have come to be known as the "ComEd 4."
Lobbyists Jay Doherty, John Hooker, Madigan confidant Michael McClain and former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore are charged with corruption and conspiracy in connection with a scheme to bribe then-House speaker Mike Madigan by way of favors and “no work” lobbying jobs with the utility.
In one recording, Marquez sits down with Doherty to discuss the lobbyists. Marquez assures Doherty that his contract, which the government said included money to be paid to other lobbyists, was not being curtailed.
Doherty recalled how the program started and how he pitched his role to previous Com Ed executives. “I would rather have you keep me on and use me, just use me,” Doherty said. “I love the game.” The game, Marquez understood, was politics.
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As a new CEO was about to take over, government wiretaps played for the jury Monday showed a level of concern about the costs of the program even as Mike McClain and Anne Pramaggiore discussed the hiring for former Chicago Ald. Mike Zalewski.
“We got a lot of people hanging out there,” Pramaggiore said. “Is there anybody who, you know, we could sort of take off the roster?”
According to Marquez, the so-called “contract lobbyists” did little to no work but were requested by Madigan’s office.
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He also told jurors the company took great care to hire recommended summer interns from Madigan’s 13th Ward.
Marquez also testified that some residents of the 13th Ward called him, a senior vice president with ComEd, rather than the company’s 1-800 number when their power went out.
All of this was going on as the Illinois House was taking up measures that would benefit ComEd, legislation the company worried could be “tabled” or “bricked” by Madigan before it could be called for a vote.
The recorded conversations and even the body cam video will be significant to this trial and the upcoming trial of Mike Madigan. According to the testimony given Tuesday, Marquez was instructed to “never put anything in writing.”
He has pled guilty to one count of bribery and has made a plea deal with the government to avoid jail time. Marquez is expected to remain on the stand for the rest of the week. He is also expected to face blistering cross-examination from attorneys for the defense.
