Former AT&T Illinois President Paul La Schiazza will face a retrial on June 3rd. His first trial, which ended in September with a hung jury, was delayed while Judge Robert Gettleman considered a motion for acquittal. Last week, however, the judge denied this motion, meaning La Schiazza will again face charges of bribing former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan in 2017. The alleged bribe involved a $22,500 payment to former state Representative Edward “Eddie” Acevedo after Acevedo left the Illinois General Assembly.
The timing of La Schiazza’s retrial is significant, as Madigan himself is currently on trial five floors below. Judge Gettleman acknowledged the overlap, noting potential issues with witnesses and suggesting that spacing out the trials would benefit all parties. While both the prosecution and defense expect the retrial to last approximately two weeks, the exact number of witnesses remains uncertain, particularly given the issues arising in the concurrent Madigan trial. Indeed, jurors in the Madigan trial have recently heard much of the same testimony presented in La Schiazza’s first trial, including testimony from Acevedo, who did not testify in the initial La Schiazza proceedings.
Madigan and his associate, Michael McClain, are on trial for a broader racketeering conspiracy. La Schiazza’s case, however, is more narrowly focused on legislation AT&T pushed in 2017 to end its costly obligation to provide landline service to all Illinois residents (the COLR bill). Emails reveal that McClain, acting as Madigan’s emissary, facilitated a contract for Acevedo with AT&T, shortly after informing La Schiazza that Madigan had assigned McClain to the COLR legislation as a “special project.” The urgency surrounding Acevedo’s contract intensified later, with La Schiazza instructing his team to expedite the process.
Despite Acevedo’s poor reputation and Republican threats to oppose AT&T’s agenda if he was hired, the payment was funneled through a lobbying firm. La Schiazza expressed only concern about ensuring AT&T received credit and had legal approval. The COLR bill passed after a veto override, and less than two weeks later, La Schiazza was asked to sponsor a non-profit event at the behest of McClain and Andrew Madigan (Michael Madigan’s son). Prosecutors argue that La Schiazza’s subsequent emails, expressing frustration (“this will be endless,” “We are on the friends and family plan now”), demonstrate an exchange of Acevedo’s job for the passage of the COLR bill.