Judge wants prosecutors, defense attorneys to finish perjury trial of ex-top aide to Madigan this week

Anthony Vazquez / Sun-Times

Prosecutors and defense attorneys will be hustling this week to try to complete the perjury trial of the longtime chief of staff to former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

U.S. District Judge John Kness warned the lawyers last month that the trial of Tim Mapes must be completed by this Friday. A separate bank fraud case is set to go to trial in Kness’ courtroom on Aug. 28, a date the judge recently said “remains firm.”

And while it’s plausible Mapes’ trial will end by Friday, various snafus have slowed the trial down. For example, prosecutors were expected to finish presenting evidence to the jury last week. They fell short, thanks to technical issues in the courtroom and a promise by Kness to the jury that they could expect to head home by lunch. 

Now, a juror issue that arose late Friday will prevent the trial’s third week from commencing until Monday afternoon. All the while, Mapes’ attorneys wait to begin presenting their own evidence to the jury. 

Defense attorneys have signaled their case will last a day and a half, presuming Mapes does not take the stand. They have indicated they will call an expert in human memory. Also on their witness list is Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu, chief of the public corruption section in the U.S. attorney’s office. Other potential witnesses include Mapes’ wife and a former employee.

When the defense is finished, prosecutors may choose to present some rebuttal testimony. Otherwise, the lawyers will move on to closing arguments, and then the jury will start to deliberate. Mapes faces two counts the jurors will have to consider: perjury and attempted obstruction of justice. 

Mapes is accused of lying to a grand jury March 31, 2021. The feds say he lied on seven occasions that day about work done for Madigan by another Springfield insider, Michael McClain, in a bid to block a yearslong investigation of Madigan. 

Mapes’ defense attorneys told jurors Mapes either didn’t know the answers to the questions he was asked, or he couldn’t remember them.

McClain was convicted earlier this year along with three others for a conspiracy to bribe Madigan. He also faces trial in April with Madigan in a separate case in which they are each charged with a racketeering conspiracy.

Prosecutors have used a monthslong wiretap of McClain’s phone to undermine various bits of testimony Mapes gave to the grand jury. For example, Mapes testified that McClain would not have given him insight into McClain’s dealings with Madigan, but jurors have heard multiple recordings in which McClain did exactly that. 

When asked whether McClain had “any contact” with former state Rep. Lou Lang between 2017 and 2019, Mapes said under oath, “I don’t know of any.” 

However, jurors in Mapes’ trial have now also heard multiple secretly recorded conversations in which Mapes and McClain discussed McClain’s plans to call Lang on Madigan’s behalf. McClain called Lang to tell him it was time to resign from the Illinois General Assembly.