Closing arguments in the federal trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, who was accused of bribing House Speaker Michael Madigan, brought an expected crowd to a Chicago courtroom.
But only one spectator could claim to have had a direct influence on the proceedings.
That was James Snyder, the former mayor of Portage, Indiana, whose fight to overturn his own bribery case ended with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling in June that raised the bar for prosecutors in a number of Illinois public corruption cases.
Snyder told the Tribune he was downtown to meet with his appellate lawyer on Tuesday and decided to take in some of the La Schiazza closings. But he was not there two days later, when the case ended dramatically in a mistrial because the jury deadlocked over many of the same issues that were central to his case.
Now, all eyes turn to Madigan’s own trial on racketeering charges, which kicks off in less than three weeks and could pose similar problems for prosecutors, particularly on several counts where they now have to prove there was an agreement with Madigan ahead of time to exchange something of value for an official act.