Former AT&T Illinois boss Paul La Schiazza’s bribery trial could easily have been lost in the parade of major public corruption cases at Chicago’s federal courthouse.

But fate — in the form of the U.S. Supreme Court — stepped in, leading to a six-month delay in the blockbuster racketeering case of the man La Schiazza is accused of bribing: then-House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Now the spotlight is squarely on La Schiazza and his trial beginning Tuesday at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse, where he stands accused of a scheme to funnel $22,500 in payments to a Madigan associate in exchange for the speaker’s help passing legislation important to the phone giant.

Instead of a retread of evidence, La Schiazza’s case is now expected to offer a sneak preview of a key part of the ex-speaker’s own trial, which kicks off Oct. 8.

Among the new evidence will be testimony from former Madigan insider Tom Cullen, a lobbyist who prosecutors allege served as a go-between for the payments from AT&T to former state Rep. Edward Acevedo. Another witness, former AT&T lobbyist Stephen Selcke, is expected to offer a behind-the-scenes look at the utility’s efforts to get in Madigan’s good graces.