AT&T ‘committed to ensuring’ it never bribes lawmakers again after $23 million fine
by Mitchell Clark from The Verge - All Posts on (#64RNQ)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge AT&T Illinois will pay $23 million after it admitted to making payments to former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan's political ally in return for his vote and influence over a bill," according to a Friday press release from the Department of Justice (via Ars Technica). The company will also have to cooperate with the government's investigation into the alleged misconduct and will have to set up a compliance and ethics program that the government will receive reports on. If the company keeps up its end of the bargain, the government will dismiss its prosecution.
According to the DOJ, in 2017 AT&T paid one of Madigan's allies $22,500 through a lobbying firm that it worked with. AT&T employees tried to make it seem as if...