February 14, 2025
Willkie Chicago, led by John D. Mitchell, served as co-trial counsel on behalf of Michael McClain in a federal criminal public corruption trial.
On February 12, after a four-month trial and 11 days of deliberation, the jury was not able to reach a verdict on any of the six charges against McClain. U.S. District Judge John Blakey declared a mistrial on those charges. It is particularly rare for a defendant to avoid conviction in a RICO conspiracy case.
The jury heard from more than 60 witnesses over the course of the trial, which covered nearly a decade’s worth of evidence about an array of purported bribery schemes. Defense arguments focused on defining a hard line between lobbying and bribery. It has been reported that several members of the jury thought McClain’s actions amounted to legal lobbying and that 11 of the 12 jurors voted in favor of acquitting McClain on all charges, with one hold-out juror voting to convict McClain.
McClain, a former Illinois legislator and long-time lobbyist, was co-defendant alongside a former Illinois legislator. The charges included racketeering, bribery, extortion and wire fraud.
Co-counsel in the matter was Patrick Cotter at UB Greensfelder.
