After decades spent wielding near-absolute power over Illinois politics, Michael Madigan—the once-feared Democratic House Speaker nicknamed “The Velvet Hammer”—has finally fallen. At 83 years old, Madigan has been sentenced to seven and a half years in federal prison and ordered to pay a $2.5 million fine, marking the humiliating end of a career defined by backroom deals, political favors, and quiet domination.
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