Michael Madigan was so important to ComEd’s legislative agenda in Springfield that the utility was willing to bend over backwards to make the then-powerful House speaker happy, showering his cronies with do-nothing contracts,

The prosecutor made her comment as she continued her closing argument and began to wade into allegations involving AT&T and former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo.

Closing arguments are set to continue Thursday in the federal corruption trial of longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan

Michael Madigan’s jury is made up of ordinary Illinoisans whose lives have likely been affected by the former speaker, given his record-breaking 36-year tenure as the leader of the Illinois House of Representatives.

CHICAGO, Ill. (Capitol News Illinois) - As prosecutors began their closing arguments Wednesday in the trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, they accused the longtime Democratic powerbroker of lying to the jury when he testified in his own defense earlier this month.

Madigan, 82, and his co-defendant, political ally and confidant Michael McClain, are accused of running a criminal enterprise designed to enrich the former speaker and his associates and increase his political power.

Earlier Wednesday, US District Judge John Robert Blakey spent nearly two hours reading more than 100 pages of jury instructions. Legal experts say the bar is high for federal prosecutors, as the government aims to prove conspiracy among the defendants with intent to advance their alleged activities.

Closing arguments are expected to begin Wednesday in the federal corruption trial of longtime Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan. Court is expected to resume at 9 a.m. Former federal prosecutor Chris Hotaling joined ABC7 to discuss key points presented by the prosecution and the defense.

The arguments follow 11 weeks of testimony in which jurors heard from 63 witnesses. Most notable among them was Michael Madigan himself.

After more than three months, dozens of witnesses and hundreds of audio recordings, the fate of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan will soon be in the hands of a jury.

CHICAGO — Ex-House speaker Michael Madigan, formerly the most powerful man in Illinois politics, “conspired to enhance and preserve (his) power and line his pockets” for years, prosecutors said at the outset of marathon closing arguments in Madigan’s corruption trial.

Prosecutors deliver closing arguments in Michael Madigan's corruption trial, accusing him of leading a criminal enterprise.