CHICAGO — Longtime Chicago lobbyist Jay Doherty was sentenced Tuesday to a year and a day in prison for his role in a yearslong bribery scheme between his biggest client, electric utility Commonwealth Edison, and former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

For eight years, Doherty agreed to use his consulting company as a pass-through in order to pay several political allies of Madigan’s, who did nothing for ComEd but received monthly checks ranging from $4,000 to $5,000. Two separate juries have found the payments were the cornerstone of a larger bribery scheme aimed at influencing Madigan while the utility pushed for major legislation in Springfield.

Before U.S. District Judge Manish Shah handed down his sentence Tuesday morning, Doherty told the judge he was “deeply ashamed” that h

See Full Page