The deal that former Ald. Danny Solis made to work as a government informant ensured he would avoid a trial and keep his city pension, which paid him nearly $109,000 last year.

The former 25th Ward alderperson provided key evidence that helped secure the convictions of longtime 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke and powerful Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The General Assembly Retirement System of Illinois sent the former Illinois Speaker of the House notice by mail, according to the State Retirement Systems. The suspension comes days after Madigan was convicted on 10 felony counts of bribery, conspiracy and wire fraud in his landmark corruption trial.

Michael Madigan’s defense team rested Thursday, nearly three months after opening statements and testimony began in the landmark case. Here is what you need to know about the case.

After an extraordinarily short day of trial Monday, jurors may only remember one detail: those high up in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2018 campaign had nicknamed then-Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan “Sphinx.”

Solis’ undercover work helped bring down two of Illinois’ biggest and longest-serving Democratic powerbrokers. Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke is now serving a two-year prison sentence after his bribery, racketeering and extortion convictions last December, while the corruption trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is in its seventh week of testimony. 

Solis’ extraordinary cooperation deal will see the single bribery charge that was eventually pressed against him in 2022 dropped so long as prosecutors are satisfied with the truthfulness of his testimony in the trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The government wrapped up 14 hours of questions for ex-Ald. Danny Solis on the witness stand halfway through a trial in which former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is accused of bribery, racketeering and extortion.

The longtime 25th Ward alderperson, who is testifying under a deferred prosecution agreement, marks the most substantial witness in the government's case against the former House Speaker. He is expected to testify for several days.

Federal prosecutors disclosed in a motion Monday that they do indeed plan to call Solis as a witness, marking a shift in strategy after they opted against calling him last year to testify against his former colleague, longtime 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke.

Evidence in Burke’s landmark corruption case moved into the third of four schemes the former 14th Ward alderman allegedly spearheaded, this one involving the massive Old Post Office building, which had been left vacant and run down for years before it was sold to 601 West Companies in 2016.

Jurors on Tuesday began hearing evidence of the second of four criminal schemes the longtime 14th Ward alderperson was allegedly involved in — this one involving remodeling work at a Burger King restaurant that was located in Burke’s district.

While prosecutors said former Ald. Ed Burke was a “bribe-taker and an extortionist” who used his elected office to “line his pockets,” Burke’s attorneys said he was an “old school, hardworking public servant” devoted to Chicago and its residents.

Former Ald. Ed Burke entered the Dirksen United States Courthouse for the first time since June 2019 accompanied by his wife, former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice Ann Burke, and a phalanx of attorneys.

Former Ald. Ed Burke, once the most powerful member of the City Council, is scheduled to go on trial starting on Monday at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on 14 charges of bribery, extortion and racketeering — charges that are usually brought against members of the mob or street gangs.

During an April 2022 court hearing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Amarjeet Bhachu called Solis one of the most significant government informants and witnesses of the last several decades. But prosecutors do not plan to call him during the trial of former Ald. Ed Burke, set to start Nov. 6.