Sangamon Sun

The latest testimony at the ComEd Four trial focused on the hiring of the Reyes Kurson law firm at the behest of former House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Reyes Kurson's principal, Victor Reyes, is highly connected. He heads the Hispanic Democratic Organization and was once a member of the Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus. It logged over 1,000 hours of work for ComEd after being suggested by Madigan and longtime associate defendant Michael McClain. Contracts between Reyes Kurson and ComEd were advocated for by Madigan and allies in 2011 and 2016. The trial features over 100 secret audio recordings from wiretaps. McClain a former state representative and longtime Madigan ally, features prominently in those audio recordings. McClain was also caught doing the former speaker’s bidding via email. 

“Mike had gone over my head,” former ComEd General Counsel Tom O’Neill said in recent testimony, according to Crain's Chicago Business. 

McClain reached out to fellow defendant Anne Pramaggiore, ComEd’s former CEO via email regarding Reyes’ firm.

“Well, I hate to bring this to your attention but I must. Sorry. I am sure you know how Valuable Victor is to our Friend,” McClain wrote in an email, Bloomberg Law reported. 

McClain routinely referred to Madigan as “our friend” in his dealings. O’Neill told jurors he felt McClain was invoking Madigan’s name inappropriately. 

“I started to wonder if he was using speaker’s name for impact,” O’Neill told jurors. 

He added that Pramaggiore was deep in Madigan’s pocket. 

"She said things like 'what's important to the speaker is important to ComEd,'" O’Neill told jurors.  

O’Neill also discussed the appointment of Joan Ochoa to ComEd’s board as well as several subcontractors suggested by Madigan who reportedly did no work in exchange for the pay they received from the state’s largest utility provider. O’Neill said McClain focused on the minutia of the Reyes Kurson contract seeking more billable hours for the firm. 

“So I talked with our friend and he asked if you would consider increasing that 30 hours a month by another 10 hours. Is that possible?” McClain emailed O’Neill in March 2016. 

O’Neill said he was surprised by such granular involvement. 

“My main reaction, I guess, was I didn’t understand why he was referring to the Speaker,” O’Neill said of McClain. “I found it hard to believe the Speaker of the House would care about 10 hours.” 

Reyes has long been influential in political circles in Illinois and was once an associate of Chicago political boss and former mayor Richard Daley. His bio on the law firm’s website describes his background further. “With nearly 30 years of experience in government, law, and public affairs, Victor Reyes draws upon a wide range of contacts and experiences to help clients achieve their goals,” the bio reads. He is, according to the website, the go-to person of “Business owners and leaders from around the country" and "is repeatedly selected as an Illinois Leading Lawyer in the areas of governmental, municipal, lobbying, and administrative law.” 

“Victor began his career as an assistant to former Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, ultimately rising to the position of Director of Intergovernmental Affairs, where he was responsible for implementing the mayor’s agenda in the city council, state legislature, and Congress. After a 10-year career in the public sector, Victor left the mayor’s office to lead the Chicago government practice of an international law firm, and in 2005 established the firm now known as Reyes Kurson, Ltd,” the bio further reads.

Reyes also leads Roosevelt Strategy Group, a “full service government relations and strategy firm dedicated to providing business, government, industry and trade organizations practical advice to accomplish their goals," according to the group's website. Headquartered at 328 South Jefferson Street Suite 909 in Chicago, the group touts that its "real-world, bipartisan approach delivers clients the victories they are seeking.”  

The trial centers on McClain, Pramaggiore, former ComEd lobbyist John Hooker, and lobbyist and former City Club of Chicago head Jay Doherty. The four are accused of participating in a $150 million bribery scandal meant to sway favor with the former house speaker. 

In her opening statement, Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said "The defendants sought to bribe Mike Madigan in order to influence his actions in the General Assembly, to ensure that he didn’t take action to hurt the company in the General Assembly and to reward past beneficial conduct to ComEd in the general assembly with legislation that was worth hundreds of millions of dollars,” Capitol Fax reported.

Madigan, the longest-serving legislative leader in the country's history, will stand trial by April next year, on 22 counts of corruption involving ComEd and one related to a different bribery conspiracy with AT&T. Madigan reportedly participated in the 2022 election campaign while facing charges, despite losing his leadership roles in the Democratic party and the General Assembly. Also, he has taken the final $10 million from his campaign budget and put it toward his defense fund.