Former state Sen. Martin Sandoval, who pleaded guilty in January to political corruption and was cooperating with prosecutors in multiple ongoing investigations, died Saturday from COVID-19 complications.
Sandoval, 56, was in the hospital before his death, said attorney Dylan Smith.
“While he may have strayed from the standard he set for himself, he was making a genuine effort to make amends for his mistakes through his cooperation with the government and its ongoing investigation,” Smith said.
The family released a statement late Saturday afternoon.
“We unexpectedly lost the center of our family today. Marty was larger than life with an enormous heart and an endless devotion to us. We’re proud of his legacy, miss him already and know he joins his four siblings and parents in a better place all too soon,” according to a statement released by wife Marina Sandoval and children Angie, Jenny and Martin Jr.
The Cook County medical examiner’s office confirmed that Sandoval died about 10 a.m. Saturday at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood.
Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat and former Senate Transportation Committee chairman, pleaded guilty to bribery and tax charges, admitting in a 27-page plea agreement to taking more than a combined quarter of a million dollars in bribes in exchange for his political influence or official action.
At the heart of the investigation was at least $70,000 in government-supplied cash Sandoval took from a SafeSpeed representative who was working with authorities in return for Sandoval acting as its “protector” in the state Senate.
Sandoval, who resigned effective Jan. 1, 2020, faced up to about 12 1/2 years in federal prison, but in exchange for his continued assistance, prosecutors agreed to recommend a reduced sentence of unspecified length.
In a court filing just before Thanksgiving, prosecutors said Sandoval had been providing “valuable cooperation that is expected to last at least several more months.” His next court date was postponed until April 1. A spokesman for U.S. Attorney John Lausch had no comment Saturday.
It was not immediately clear how Sandoval’s sudden death might affect the government’s ongoing corruption probes. In addition to the red-light camera sting, the Sandoval investigation involved a wide range of alleged political corruption within his Southwest Side and suburban power base, including the mayors of McCook, Lyons, Summit and Oakbrook Terrace as well as a handful of longtime Democratic political operatives.
Federal authorities also were looking at some of Sandoval’s top political boosters, including Michael Vondra, the so-called Asphalt King of Illinois who held an annual fundraiser for Sandoval at his west suburban golf course.
Born in Chicago in 1964, Sandoval graduated from Loyola University Chicago with a Bachelor of Science in psychology and worked 15 years in the federal government, including at the U.S. Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs and Environmental Protection Agency, according to his state biography. He also once served as a commissioner of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
Sandoval’s ascension to the state Senate in 2003 was boosted by the now-defunct Hispanic Democratic Organization, a patronage operation formed under former Mayor Richard M. Daley.
In a harbinger of Sandoval’s legal troubles, a Tribune investigation in 2017 revealed the senator had interceded with the Illinois Department of Transportation on SafeSpeed’s behalf while also taking tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from the company and its owner.
In September 2019, federal agents swooped into Sandoval’s offices in the state Capitol armed with a search warrant naming a who’s who of political power players.
The warrants sought information on construction magnates, transportation officials, lobbyists and power company bigwigs. Authorities also were interested in a member of the Tollway board, a swanky suburban cigar lounge and a businessman nicknamed “Shadow,” records showed.
And Sandoval’s connections to utility giant Commonwealth Edison — where his daughter, Angie, works as a senior account representative — also were being looked at by prosecutors.
ComEd has since admitted to an elaborate bribery scheme to curry favor with House Speaker Michael Madigan. Last month, longtime Madigan confidant Michael McClain, former ComEd CEO Anne Pramaggiore, lobbyist John Hooker and consultant Jay Doherty were indicted on charges alleging they helped orchestrate the scheme. All four have pleaded not guilty.
Sandoval was never charged with any wrongdoing involving ComEd. His undoing proved to be the cooperation of SafeSpeed co-founder and executive Omar Maani, who wore a wire for the FBI and recorded Sandoval demanding money and other favors in exchange for his support.
Maani has been charged with bribery but entered into a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. attorney’s office that means the case will eventually be dismissed if he continues to cooperate.
Meanwhile, SafeSpeed and its CEO, Nikki Zollar, have denied any wrongdoing, saying that any bribes offered by Maani occurred without the company’s knowledge.
After Sandoval pleaded guilty in January, SafeSpeed said it was “shocked and saddened” at Sandoval’s betrayal of public trust.
Sandoval told reporters after his hearing — the last time he appeared in a public courtroom — that he was “ashamed” and took “full responsibility” for his actions.
“I apologize to the people of Illinois and most importantly the constituents that I’ve served over the last 17 years,” he said. “… I intend to fully cooperate with the government, and because of that, I can no longer provide any further comments.”
Sandoval served in the General Assembly from 2003 until his resignation. His annual golf fundraiser proved to be a must-attend event for interests seeking his help to advance or block legislation.
Sandoval’s Senate district included the House district represented by Madigan. Sandoval learned about much of the territory that he would represent by walking door to door with Madigan precinct captains.
Sandoval often joked that he wouldn’t let Madigan or his loyalists implant a computer chip in his head to control his thinking about politics. But when Madigan sought to defeat veteran Republican Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano of Elmwood Park in 2012, Sandoval joined the effort to support Democratic challenger Kathleen Willis in a very public way.
Sandoval interrupted a public forum between Saviano and Willis, shouting, standing up on chairs and sitting on the floor in protest, saying he wanted to ask questions.
Willis won, and eventually made it onto Madigan’s leadership team. Now as Madigan struggles to maintain his speakership, Willis is one of 19 House Democrats who have vowed not to vote for Madigan next month when he tries for another two-year term as speaker.
Chicago Tribune’s Rick Pearson contributed.
