Government attorneys are wrapping up their case with a focus on AT&T and former state Rep. Eddie Acevedo, D-Chicago, at the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan and codefendant Michael McClain.

Judge John Robert Blakey ruled Wednesday that Acevedo would be required to testify next Monday, despite questions about Acevedo’s competency as a witness.

Blakey denied defense attorneys’ motion to quash Acevedo’s subpoena Wednesday morning. Blakey pointed to the distinction between the credibility of the witness and competency to testify. Acevedo’s attorney, Gabrielle Sansonetti, had also sought to prevent Acevedo’s testimony by saying her client had dementia.

U.S. government attorneys have introduced evidence showing that Acevedo was paid by AT&T and ComEd for do-nothing jobs. In a separate case, Acevedo was sentenced in 2022 to six months in prison for tax evasion.

Lobbyist Thomas Cullen, who worked for Madigan from 1987 to 1999 in both the Speaker’s office and the Democratic Party of Illinois, reported to the witness stand Wednesday afternoon.

Prosecutors say AT&T made payments to Acevedo through Cullen’s lobbying firm.

Cullen said his attorney, Thomas Durkin, requested a non-target letter from the government to indicate that Cullen is not the target of the investigation corresponding with the trial of Madigan and McClain.

Cullen called himself a “political junkie” and said he was loyal to the speaker and loyal to Democrats.

Cullen said McClain would ask him to go to his clients and request campaign donations for Illinois Democrats in target districts.

Government attorney Sarah Streicker displayed a transcript of a recording from Aug. 29, 2018, of McClain asking Cullen, on behalf of “our mutual friend,” to join him and others in donating $1,000 each per month for six months to former Madigan aide Kevin Quinn, who had been dismissed over harassment claims.

Cullen said he understood “our mutual friend” to mean Mike Madigan and agreed emphatically to McClain’s request, even though Cullen said there were no unique services that Quinn could provide for him.

During the call, McClain said that Madigan would “take care of Kevin” once Madigan was sworn in as speaker.

Cullen testified that Kevin Quinn was an effective member of Madigan’s 13th Ward Democratic Organization in Chicago. Cullen said he paid Quinn $1,000 per month for six months.

Cullen said he helped AT&T talk with Illinois lawmakers about carrier-of-last-resort legislation. According to Cullen, a COLR bill was AT&T’s No. 1 priority in 2017. The legislation passed that summer.

Streicker asked Cullen about Acevedo, who had served as an assistant majority leader for Democratic members of the Illinois House under Madigan until Acevedo left the General Assembly in 2017.

Cullen said AT&T did not want Acevedo’s successor, Theresa Mah, D-Chicago, to know that the company was paying Acevedo, because Mah had defeated Acevedo’s son in a contentious campaign. Cullen said he agreed to hire Acevedo even though he did not think Acevedo could add anything of value to his firm.

“He wasn’t a serious member of the General Assembly … I didn’t think he could add anything to my team,” Cullen added.

Cullen described a meeting during which Acevedo “got mad” and used “some choice words” because he was upset that AT&T was being “cheap” by only offering him $2,500 per month.

Prosecutors called AT&T Illinois employee Barbara Galvin to the witness stand Wednesday morning. Galvin said she has worked in the company’s external and legislative affairs department since 2003.

Government attorney Amar Bhachu introduced a 2017 consultant agreement with Cullen’s firm to work under the direction of AT&T President Paul La Schiazza.

According to the agreement, Cullen’s firm did not have authority to give gifts or payments directly or indirectly to political officials or parties.

Bhachu also displayed an amendment to the deal that raised the payment amount to Cullen’s firm from $7,500 per month to $10,000 per month.

Bhachu then introduced an email among AT&T legislative affairs members explaining the increased payments for an additional asset, which Galvin testified was “Eddie Acevedo,” to support House Democratic leadership.

Bhachu then showed jurors a document showing AT&T’s sponsorship of a fundraising event for Aunt Martha’s Health & Wellness in Chicago “to provide stakeholder opportunities with legislators.” The document included language explaining the $2,500 cost of the event, to align with Aunt Martha’s, was “to position AT&T with state, city and county decision-makers and business leaders.”

FBI Special Agent Jennifer Avila followed Galvin to the witness stand and testified about AT&T records related to the company’s efforts to lobby Madigan for telecommunications modernization. Prosecutors introduced several emails over prior objections by the defense teams.

In one email, La Schiazza wrote, “In Illinois no bill can get through the legislature and to the Governor without the tacit approval of the all-powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan. He is the longest serving Speaker in the United States and rules the House with an iron fist.”

Another email from La Schiazza asked if there was money set aside for Eddie Acevedo. A subsequent email recommended that Acevedo not be contracted directly with AT&T but instead be hired by Cullen’s firm.

In a series of emails, AT&T executives indicated that Acevedo “felt insulted” by the company’s consulting offer of $2,500 per month and asked for $3,000 per month. Acevedo eventually accepted the $2500 amount for consulting through Cullen & Associates.

Government attorney Julia Schwartz introduced a series of emails from the summer of 2017, after the General Assembly passed legislation favored by AT&T. In one email, the speaker’s son, Andrew Madigan, emailed AT&T officials to invite them to participate in a fundraiser for Aunt Martha’s.

La Schiazza suggested that this would not be the last such request and, after some discussion via email, La Schiazza wrote, “We’re on the friends and family plan now.”

Connie Mixon, professor of Political Science and director of the Urban Studies Program at Elmhurst University, said defense attorneys might argue that AT&T’s behavior is not unusual.

“Most people, most organizations, most corporations try to curry favor with legislators and, importantly, the powerful Speaker of the Illinois House, Michael Madigan,” Mixon told The Center Square.

Lobbyist and former Madigan aide Will Cousineau mentioned AT&T in a wiretapped call with McClain on May 25, 2018.

“Zalewski was asked to get you language on his small cell item today?” Cousineau asked.

“Yeah?” McClain said.

“Was that to talk to, to start a discussion with AT&T? And here’s the reason I’m asking: I’ve got a little, uh, COLR relief for little Century Link in there, um, that I would like to hook to anything that moves, and it’s in the language that he got you,” Cousineau said.

Former AT&T executive Deno Perdiou began testifying Tuesday afternoon but did not return Wednesday due to what Blakey called “a personal issue.”

The court is not scheduled to be in session Thursday or Friday. Trial proceedings are scheduled to resume Monday morning at the Everett McKinley Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in Chicago.

Prosecutors indicated that they expect to rest their case Tuesday. Madigan’s defense attorneys suggested they would be ready to begin presenting their case when the government rests.

Attorneys mentioned that state Rep. Bob Rita, D-Blue Island, might return to the witness stand. Rita testified for about 10 minutes on Oct. 24 but did not return. Bhachu said there are “some things in play” with regard to Rita.

Madigan and McClain are charged with 23 counts of bribery, racketeering and official misconduct in connection with a scheme U.S. government attorneys termed, “The Madigan Enterprise.”

Prosecutors allege that ComEd and AT&T Illinois gave out no-work or little-work jobs and contract work to those loyal to Madigan to get legislation passed that would benefit them in Springfield. Four ComEd executives and lobbyists were convicted last year in a related trial, and ComEd itself agreed to pay $200 million in fines as part of a deferred prosecution agreement with prosecutors.

This story first published in The Center Square. Read the original here.