(The Center Square) – Former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore is expected to take the stand as part of her own defense as early as Thursday as the federal corruption probe targeting her and three other defendants continues to unfold.
Early on during Wednesday’s daylong proceedings, attorneys for the 64-year-old one-time top executive told U.S. District Judge Harry Leninweber that she planned to take her case directly to jurors.
Charged along with Pramaggiore in the alleged scheme to bribe former House Speaker Mike Madigan in exchange for his favorable support on legislation deemed to be beneficial to the company are former lobbyist and Madigan confidante Michael McClain, retired ComEd executive John Hooker and one-time ComEd consultant and ex-City Club of Chicago president Jay Doherty.
As the defense began presenting its case on Wednesday, attorneys for all three other defendants told Leninweber their clients are still debating if they plan to take the stand.
Madigan and McClain are also set to go to trial sometime in the spring of 2024 in a separate case where Madigan faces a 23-count indictment that includes racketeering, bribery and official misconduct charges.
On Wednesday, the first witness called by Pramaggiore’s attorney was former ComEd executive Val Jensen, who told jurors he never heard anyone at the company speak of any secret arrangement with Madigan that stood to benefit the company. To the contrary, he added, Madigan’s office actually pushed for legislation that negatively impacted the company’s bottom-line and supported other measures the utility stood staunchly opposed to.
Beyond that, Jensen told jurors as top utility executives go, Pramaggiore stood out based on her level of integrity.
“All I was told was do the right thing and do what we promised the legislature we were going to do,” he said. “I think she’s very honest. I was never in a situation when I felt she wasn’t being honest.”
From there, attorneys called Illinois Appellate Court Justice David Ellis to the stand. In 2011, Ellis served as Madigan’s top attorney in advancing a bill that paved the way for the utility giant to set up its smart grid program as well as set formula rates that quickly became a source of contention for many.
As questioning intensified, Ellis told the court that Madigan was instrumental in him landing on the bench, affirming that the longest-serving legislative leader in history “ran” his 2014 campaign. He recalled that McClain donated $1,000 to his judicial campaign and that Hooker contributed $500.
