Dupage Policy Journal

State Representative Amy Grant commented on the trial of a former AT&T Illinois executive, stating, "Paul La Schiazza's trial is set to begin tomorrow, the last in a series of trials before Mike Madigan goes to court," in a Sept. 10 Facebook post.

"Former AT&T Illinois president Paul La Schiazza's trial is set to begin tomorrow, the last in a series of trials before Mike Madigan goes to court on October 8," said Grant, according to Facebook.

In her Facebook post, Rep. Grant shared a link to a Chicago Sun-Times article highlighting how a "small contract" for La Schiazza and AT&T Illinois led to significant legal issues. According to the article, it began in 2017 when AT&T Illinois paid $22,500 over nine months to an ally of Michael Madigan, then Speaker of the Illinois State House of Representatives. This payment secured a legislative win that would help the utility save millions. Paul La Schiazza was president of the utility at that time.

Screenshot of State Rep. Amy Grant's Sept. 10 Facebook post | State Representative Amy Grant's Facebook page

La Schiazza was indicted by a federal grand jury on five counts: conspiracy, corruptly giving something of value to reward a public official, and three counts of using a utility in interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity, according to an Oct. 14, 2022 press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ). Payments were made through a lobbying firm that performed services for AT&T Illinois to conceal the true nature of the payments. The individual paid for services provided no actual work for AT&T Illinois and had no role in advancing the legislation, according to the DOJ news release.

According to WTTW, La Schiazza and his legal team attempted to have some charges against him dismissed in July following a U.S. Supreme Court decision on federal bribery statutes. His attorneys argued that federal prosecutors "are arguing a faulty interpretation of Section 666 that has now been rejected by the high court." They further said, "In other words," La Schiazza’s attorneys wrote, "no agreement of a ‘this’ in exchange for ‘that’ is alleged in the indictment. Absent such allegations, the Indictment fails to allege the essential elements of Counts One or Two, and those counts should be dismissed."

Grant represents the people of the 47th House District. Her political career includes six years on the DuPage County Board from 2012-2018. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Education from the University of Pittsburgh. She and her husband have lived in Wheaton for more than two decades and are actively involved in their community. According to her official biography, she is involved with several organizations including the DuPage County Historical Museum Board, Glen Oaks Hospital Community Partnership Committee, Missionaries of Charity soup kitchen, and she also teaches religious education at St. Michaels.