Former Chief of Staff to Speaker of the Illinois House Convicted of Lying Under Oath to Federal Grand Jury

CHICAGO — The former Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the Illinois House of Representatives was convicted today of providing false material testimony under oath to a federal grand jury and attempting to obstruct its investigation into allegations of public corruption.

A jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago found TIMOTHY MAPES, 68, of Springfield, Ill., guilty of one count of making false declarations before a grand jury and one count of attempted obstruction of justice.  U.S. District Judge John F. Kness set sentencing for Jan. 10, 2024.  The obstruction of justice conviction is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison, while the false declaration conviction carries a maximum sentence of five years.

The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI; and Justin Campbell, Special Agent-in-Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation Division in Chicago.  The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julia Schwartz and Diane MacArthur.

“Perjury and obstruction of justice are serious offenses that strike at the heart of the truth-seeking mission of the grand jury,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Pasqual.  “This conviction should stand as a clear message to witnesses who choose to violate their oath to tell the truth before a grand jury that they will be held accountable.”

"There is no justice without truth,” said FBI SAC Wheeler.  “Attempts to undermine the prosecutorial process chip away at trust in our institutions, and this conviction shows that we continue to work with our partners to ensure the integrity of our judicial system."

“Citizens should expect that former public officials will maintain their integrity and be truthful even when it is inconvenient,” said IRS-CI SAC Campbell.  “The investigation that resulted in this conviction is a testament to IRS-CI’s and our law enforcement partners’ commitment to ensuring that individuals who do not testify truthfully in the grand jury will be brought to justice.”

Evidence presented at the nearly three-week trial revealed that the grand jury was investigating possible violations of federal criminal law, including efforts by the Speaker of the House and a consultant acting on the Speaker’s behalf to obtain for others private jobs, contracts, and monetary payments, including from Commonwealth Edison (“ComEd”), the largest electric utility in Illinois, to influence and reward the Speaker in the Speaker’s official capacity.

Mapes was granted immunity prior to his testimony before the grand jury.  The immunity order provided that testimony or evidence provided by Mapes could not be used against him in a criminal case, except for perjury, giving a false statement, or otherwise failing to comply with the immunity order. 

When Mapes appeared before the grand jury on March 31, 2021, he knowingly made false material declarations in response to several questions about the consultant’s relationship with the Speaker from 2017 to 2019.  Mapes denied knowing that the consultant acted as an agent or performed work for the Speaker during those years, when, in fact, Mapes knew that the consultant carried out work and assignments on behalf of the Speaker and communicated messages on the Speaker’s behalf.