Chicago Democrat Just Got Sent Up The River For Major Bribery!

Another prominent Democrat proven to be corrupt is now facing 57 months in federal prison.

Former Illinois Democrat state Rep. Luis Arroyo pleaded guilty to trying to bribe a state senator in connection with an expansion of gambling machines. A federal judge called him a “corruption super-spreader.”

Arroyo was handed a 57-month sentence by U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger after pleading guilty in November to a wire fraud count alleging he tried to bribe a state senator to help with promoting legislation.

The judge said in a statement:

“You took bribes, you corrupted yourself, you corrupted the political process. You tried to corrupt the law itself. You tried to change Illinois for a corrupt reason. … What you did was a frontal assault on the very idea of representative government. The public did not get what they deserve.”

During the hearing, Judge Seeger ripped Arroyo calling the Democrat lawmaker a “dirty politician who was on the take” and a “corruption super-spreader,” who through his actions “injected” corruption into both the Illinois House and Senate.

WTTW, a local news outlet reported:

“Arroyo, 67, of Chicago, was first indicted on one charge of bribery in October 2019 and resigned from the Illinois House one month later. He pleaded guilty last November to one count of wire fraud.”

“At the time of his indictment, Arroyo was registered as a Chicago lobbyist focused on sweepstakes legislation, according to records filed with the Chicago Board of Ethics. Prosecutors allege he was paid tens of thousands of dollars by James Weiss — the owner of sweepstakes firm Collage LLC and husband to former state Rep. Maria “Toni” Berrios — to push legislation that would have legalized gambling machines.” 

During the hearing, Arroyo asked for the judge to consider the entirety of his life’s work before issuing a sentence, which the judge was unmoved by.

Here’s what told the court:

“I cannot begin to put into words how awful I feel. What I did, was awful, I understand there has to be consequences for the choice I made. I accept that. I’ll always accept responsibility completely today.”

Arroyo’s defense team argued he was not the “recipient of a bribe,” but rather a “conduit for the bribe,” suggesting Arroyo was simply taking monthly payments from Weiss and giving it to an Illinois politician referred to in court documents as “State Senator A.”

Arroyo’s attorney Michael Gillespie wrote:

“Without question, Mr. Arroyo did accept money from co-defendant James T. Weiss to provide to State Senator A as part of the bribery scheme. He does not deny his role and participation in the instant offense and accepts full responsibility for his actions.”

Former Chicago Lawmaker Democrat Luis Arroyo Sentenced To 5 Years In Federal Prison For Bribery Surrounding Gambling Bill pic.twitter.com/0Wu42jpfRo

— Dowop Robinson (@dowop_robinson) May 27, 2022

Former Illinois House leader Luis Arroyo was sentenced to nearly five years in prison for trying to bribe a state senator to help with promoting legislation. https://t.co/Z8TbBWMkPK

— FCCED – Financial Crimes News (@FinCrimeEdu) May 27, 2022

IL Democrat was a corruption super-spreader https://t.co/JTwAniP1cl

— Georgia Log Cabin (@GeorgiaLogCabin) May 27, 2022

Conservative Brief added:

Assistant U.S. Attorney James Durkin wrote in a previous filing that Arroyo’s bribery scheme wasn’t a “momentary lapse in judgment” and that he took a series of calculated actions.

“He knew right from wrong when he committed this crime,” Durkin said. “But he betrayed his office and his constituents for his own personal benefit.”

In addition to being sentenced to 5 years in prison, Arroyo was also ordered to forfeit $32,500, the amount Seeger determined he had received in bribes from Weiss’ company.

Arroyo must turn himself in by Aug. 31 to begin serving his sentence.

Citing anonymous sources, the Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune identified the senator as Democrat Terry Link of Vernon Hills, who repeatedly denied the label. But Link pleaded guilty in September 2020 to filing a false tax return before resigning his post. The FBI announced Link had been cooperating with the government criminal investigation and prosecutors indicated they would seek probation if his help continued in good faith.

Sources: Conservativebrief, WTTW