Chicago’s Top Federal Public Corruption Prosecutor to Resign

Chicago’s top federal prosecutor for public corruption has submitted his resignation effective March 14, a spokesman for the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois confirmed.

Assistant US Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu spearheaded multiple high-stakes public corruption prosecutions, most recently the blockbuster case against ex-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D).

Bhachu, who is chief of the office’s Public Corruption and Organized Crime Section, has been a federal prosecutor for more than two decades.

In a statement, Acting US Attorney Morris Pasqual said Bhachu “holds a rightful place on the list of distinguished Assistant United States Attorneys who have served in this district. He made our office better each and every day.”

The months-long Madigan trial concluded in February with a split jury verdict. Bhachu’s resignation is effective before an expected May bench trial on forfeiture, at which prosecutors are expected to seek a monetary judgment against Madigan. The ex-speaker’s sentencing has not yet been scheduled.

While the Madigan case was the pinnacle of a lengthy and complex investigation that led to multiple related prosecutions, the future of some of those is in flux, and it is not yet clear how the Justice Department will handle public corruption cases in Chicago overall.

A Northern District judge on Monday threw out bribery convictions against the so-called “ComEd Four,” a group of former utility insiders accused of bribing Madigan to support Commonwealth Edison Co.'s favored legislation.

Their convictions on other counts will stand, including charges of falsifying records under the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, but it is uncertain how prosecutors will be directed to proceed given the Trump administration’s executive order pausing all FCPA enforcement actions.

Prosecutors in the ComEd case were directed to submit a report next week detailing their next steps.