A former top precinct captain for former Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan testified Wednesday that he was paid thousands of dollars through another Madigan ally’s law firm so he’d continue campaigning for the Southwest Side Democrat — and for little else.
That money came from ComEd, jurors in Madigan’s racketeering conspiracy trial have been told. It was funneled to Ed Moody through Michael McClain, an ex-lawmaker-turned-lobbyist. The utility ultimately paid $1.3 million to five Madigan allies over eight years, evidence has shown.
But for the first time Wednesday, jurors came face-to-face with one of the recipients. Moody took the stand and told them he’d collected $354,000 between 2012 and 2018. He said he landed his contract with help from Madigan, who told him to keep campaigning.
“Do the political work, keep the contract,” Moody explained to the jury Wednesday. “Don’t do political work, don’t keep the contract.”
Moody also testified that Madigan told him, “This is how I reward my good soldiers.”
Madigan and McClain are now on trial together for a racketeering conspiracy. Prosecutors say Madigan, who resigned in 2021, led a criminal enterprise designed to enhance his political power and reward his allies, with McClain acting as his agent.
One key pillar of the case involves the allegation that ComEd paid the Madigan allies so that Madigan would look favorably at ComEd legislation.
Moody’s testimony comes as prosecutors appear to be nearing the end of their presentation about the ComEd scheme. So far, his commentary to the jury mirrored his testimony in last year’s ComEd bribery trial. It ended with the conviction of McClain and three others.
This time, Madigan’s defense team will eventually have an opportunity to cross-examine Moody.
Moody, 60, is a former Cook County recorder of deeds. In his younger days, he liked walking, helping people and politics, and he told jurors Wednesday that working for Madigan’s 13th Ward political organization gave him the chance to do all three.
Together with his twin brother, Fred, their hard work knocking on doors to get out the vote for campaigns important to Illinois Democrats was rewarded with a job working for the Cook County Highway Department, then in the Cook County circuit court system and, eventually, his deal with McClain, he testified.
“I absolutely loved it,” Moody said of the political work he started doing in his early 20s for Madigan. He called it a “privilege” to be invited into constituents’ homes and “be treated like family” as he encouraged them to vote in lockstep with the sample ballot he handed them.
Moody was successful and quickly rose to the top of the volunteers. After winning a 1992 state House election by flipping several Republican precincts in Orland Park, the brothers received praise from Madigan.
“We were off the charts,” Moody recalled Madigan saying. “We did really well.”
The next year he went to Madigan with a request: Moody wanted a $40,000-a-year job.
“It doesn’t sound like much, but it was back then,” Moody testified. Madigan “was fine with that” and said he would help him.
He was later hired to be a court coordinator at the courthouse in Bridgeview.
Moody said he didn’t recall if he had to submit an application and said he didn’t really have to interview.
Asked by Assistant U.S. Attorney Diane MacArthur if he felt there was a connection between getting the job and his political work with Madigan, Moody said, “Well, he got me the job.”
But Moody said that also came with pressure to continue to do political work for Madigan and to perform at a high level.
Moody turned to Madigan again around 2011. He said he told the speaker that “even though I had a pension, I hadn’t saved enough money for retirement.” He said he was hoping to find another $45,000 a year. But when he first told Madigan that, he said the speaker didn’t react.
Moody said he “was hurt” and “angry,” and he wound up having another “very intense” meeting with Madigan, in which he was joined by his brother.
Eventually, during an encounter in a hallway, Moody said Madigan “barked out ‘You’ll be working for McClain.’”
But he also told jurors that Madigan told him, “If I stopped doing what it is I’m doing, I’m going to lose my contract.”
Moody said his work for McClain amounted to making one monthly round of phone calls to state lawmakers that took him about an hour to complete. Then, between January and April 2013, he also made a canvassing effort on behalf of ComEd.
But before the judge called for midday break in testimony Wednesday, MacArthur asked Moody if he’d done any other work for McClain in exchange for the roughly $45,000 he wound up being paid each year.
Moody said he did not.
He also told the jury that McClain told him the job was “one hell of a plum, and I owe the speaker big.”
Contributing: Dave McKinney
