Will County Gazette

Illinois State Rep. Mark Batinick recently said Illinois is corrupt and needs serious ethics reform after former state Rep. Luis Arroyo was able to collect a taxpayer-funded pension of almost $130,000 after being charged with bribery.

According to NBC Chicago, Democrat Luis Arroyo, a former Illinois House leader, was recently sentenced to almost five years in prison after pleading guilty to wire fraud. Arroyo attempted to bribe an unnamed sitting state senator to get him to promote legislation, according to the criminal complaint. Arroyo had held a House seat for almost 13 years before he was charged with bribery in October 2019.

"While Democrat lawmakers drag their feet on meaningful ethics reform in Illinois, our residents continue to pay the high price of corruption. It's time to build a better reputation for Illinois by holding elected officials to the highest ethical standards."

Arroyo was paid $53,694 each year between his arrest and his sentencing, and he also collected a taxpayer-funded pension of almost $130,000, Illinois Policy reported. Although the pension was rescinded after he was found guilty, Illinois taxpayers were left on the hook for the other $107,388. Corruption not only costs Illinois taxpayers $556 million every year; it slows economic growth, disincentivizes investment, and erodes public faith in government.

A recent report has ranked Illinois the third most corrupt state in the country, according to WTTW. The report, which was co-authored by a University of Illinois at Chicago professor and former 44th Ward Ald. Dick Simpson, draws on data from the U.S. Department of Justice. In the Northern District of Illinois, which covers Chicago and the northern third of the state, 22 public officials were convicted on corruption-related charges in 2020. That number is a decrease from 2019, when 26 Illinoisans were convicted of public corruption. Some of the corruption cases detailed in the report are related to former House Speaker Mike Madigan and his alleged schemes with Commonwealth Edison.

Former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan was indicted on March 2 for federal racketeering and bribery charges, according to a release from the Department of Justice. Madigan is facing charges of racketeering conspiracy, as well as individual counts of using interstate facilities to carry out bribery, wire fraud, and attempted extortion.

"The 22-count indictment accuses Madigan of leading for nearly a decade a criminal enterprise whose purpose was to enhance Madigan’s political power and financial well-being while also generating income for his political allies and associates." 

The release notes that in addition to his role as Speaker of the House, Madigan has also held the positions of Representative of Illinois’s 22nd District, Committeeman for Chicago’s 13th Ward, Chairman of both the Illinois Democratic Party and the 13th Ward Democratic Organization, and partner at the Chicago law firm of Madigan & Getzendanner.