The judge overseeing the bribery trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, accused of funneling payments to an ally of Michael Madigan to win the speaker’s support, has declared a mistrial in the case.

Prosecutors said former AT&T President Paul La Schiazza​ paid Madigan allies thousands of dollars in the form of do-nothing contracts.

The former head of AT&T Illinois bribed then-state House Speaker Michael J. Madiganto land the “white whale” that the utility and its top executive “had desperately wanted for the better part of a decade,

A federal jury deliberated for about seven hours Wednesday without reaching a verdict in the bribery trial of former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza, who is accused of funneling payments to an ally of Michael Madigan to win the powerful speaker’s support for key legislation in Springfield.