Good morning, Chicago.
When AT&T Illinois CEO Paul La Schiazza received an email from the son of Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan asking for a charitable contribution in 2017, he immediately forwarded it to a member of the his government relations team with a note that reads almost like a weary sigh.
“Here we go… this will be endless,” La Schiazza wrote on Andrew Madigan’s request. The assistant, Bob Barry, replied: “I suspect the ‘thank you’ opportunities will be plentiful.”
“Yeah…we’re on the friends and family plan right now,” La Schiazza replied.
Those words were shown to jurors in La Schiazza’s corruption trial on Monday, where prosecutors say they show his state of mind in the weeks after Madigan helped shepherd AT&T’s plan to end service fixed line sent – known by the acronym COLR – through the General Assembly.
Shortly after filing the emails, prosecutors rested their case after calling a total of 14 witnesses over four days of testimony. After a short sidebar with the judge, the defense also rested its case without presenting evidence. La Schiazza declined to testify in his own defense after being advised of his rights in a sidebar.
Read the full story from Jason Meisner and Ray Long of the Tribune.
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