Miguel Santiago, a former Illinois state representative and former Chicago alderman, was charged in 1998 with collecting $148,000 in pay and benefits for work he allegedly had not performed as a consultant to the Cook County treasurer’s office.
With the firm as his defense counsel, Mr. Santiago was the first elected official to contest so-called “ghost-payroll” charges in a four-year federal probe of city, county and state government that ultimately resulted in nearly three dozen convictions. He testified in his own behalf concerning the consulting and community advocacy services he performed. In January 1999, after a 16-day trial, the federal court jury deliberated for two days before finding Mr. Santiago not guilty of all 11 charges against him.