ComEd gets another subpoena from the feds
This time authorities want records about state Sen. Martin Sandoval.
Federal prosecutors have fired off a second grand jury subpoena to ComEd and Exelon Corp. — this time revolving around state Sen. Martin Sandoval — and Exelon has formed a special oversight committee to oversee compliance.
The subpoena arrived Friday, records show, more than two weeks after agents from the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation division raided Sandoval’s home and offices, including inside the Capitol building in Springfield.
Over the summer, the U.S. Attorney’s office also sent Exelon and ComEd a grand jury subpoena seeking documents concerning its lobbying activities in Illinois.
Exelon and ComEd disclosed the latest subpoena in a report filed Friday with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. They also acknowledged Exelon formed a Special Oversight Committee on June 21 “consisting solely of independent directors, to oversee the Companies’ cooperation and compliance with the subpoena, any further action taken by the U.S. Attorney and any resulting actions that may be required or recommended.”
“The Special Oversight Committee has engaged independent outside counsel to advise and assist the Committee,” the report states.
The existence of the subpoena was first reported by Crain’s Chicago Business.
The feds followed up their raid on Sandoval’s offices by sweeping two days later through several southwest suburbs, including McCook, Lyons, Summit and Crestwood. Documents released by McCook show investigators had targeted the mayoral offices of McCook Mayor Jeff Tobolski, who doubles as a Cook County commissioner.
A source told the Chicago Sun-Times the suburban raids were related to the raid on Sandoval’s offices.
The Sun-Times has since reported that agents were asking about a politically connected red-light camera company, SafeSpeed LLC. The company’s CEO, Nikki Zollar, told the Sun-Times “we don’t pay people off” and said she believes a SafeSpeed partner, Omar Maani, appears to be cooperating with the government.
Her company is “trying to find out what we need to do to distance ourselves from him,” she said.
“Our partner has run amok in some way,” Zollar said.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker has urged Illinois Senate President John Cullerton to ask Sandoval to step down as chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee or remove him if he won’t go voluntarily. However, Cullerton and Majority Leader Kimberly Lightford, D-Maywood, are taking a wait-and-see attitude.
“Clearly from a social justice perspective, I don’t feel comfortable calling for the punishment of someone who hasn’t been charged,” Lightford told the Sun-Times.
Meanwhile, Assistant Majority Leader Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, told the newspaper it’s time for Sandoval to step down.
“It would be wise for Marty Sandoval to step down as chair of the Transportation Committee while this investigation unfolds,” Harmon said.