Illinois Gaming Tycoon Heads to Jail for Bribing State Officials

Article by : Erik Gibbs Oct 15, 2023

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In a hearing that lasted nearly five hours at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, a federal judge made a scathing assessment of corruption in Chicago, labeling it as “an embarrassment to the great city of Chicago” and noting the city’s infamous and well-established reputation for such activities.

He warned that federal prison cells were “ready and waiting” for those found guilty of corruption and then sentenced businessman James T. Weiss, known for his political influence, to 5 ½ years in prison.

US District Judge Steven Seeger criticized Weiss for his involvement in bribing two Illinois lawmakers and misleading the FBI.

Weiss, who is the son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios, had paid substantial bribes to former state Rep.Luis Arroyo and former state Sen. Terry Link.

These bribes were part of a corrupt scheme to change state laws in favor of Weiss’ business interests. A jury convicted Weiss in June on multiple charges, including honest services wire and mail fraud, bribery and lying to the FBI.

Judge Seeger’s strong stance against corruption wasn’t surprising, considering his previous comments during the sentencing of another individual involved in the same scheme.

Seeger described Arroyo as a “dirty politician who was on the take” and a “corruption super-spreader” during that hearing in May 2022. In Weiss’s case, Seeger pointed out that he found Weiss to be more responsible for the bribery scheme, suggesting that it was Weiss’s idea.

This case was part of a larger trend of public corruption trials at the Dirksen courthouse in Chicago, with Weiss being one of seven individuals convicted in such trials in the same year.

His conviction followed the conviction of four others in a separate bribery scheme in the Illinois Capitol, highlighting ongoing concerns about corruption in the city.

An in-law of Joseph Berrios, the former Cook County Assessor, has been advocating for the legalization of sweepstakes machines while concurrently managing a political action committee (PAC) linked to Michael Madigan.

James T. Weiss, who has strong political connections, became the second of seven individuals to be sentenced. Previously, Alex Acevedo, a son of former state Rep. Edward “Eddie” Acevedo, received a two-month prison sentence in July for filing false tax returns and is set to be released next month.

During the sentencing of Weiss, Judge Seeger raised concerns about the persistent issue of public corruption in Chicago and questioned why it continues to occur.

Assistant US Attorney Christine O’Neill acknowledged that public corruption is challenging to detect and challenging to eliminate, not just in Chicago but in general.

The judge questioned the prevalence of corruption in Chicago compared to other major cities, seeking insights from Weiss’s defense attorneys.

The defense attorneys, Ilia Usharovich and Sheldon Sorosky, suggested that public corruption issues are not unique to Chicago but rather a concern in many major cities. They highlighted the effectiveness of the US Attorney’s office in prosecuting public corruption cases.

Prosecutors had previously alleged connections between Weiss and the late Chicago mobster Frank “The German” Schweihs by presenting secretly recorded comments made by Weiss’s brother.

Despite these allegations, Weiss vehemently denied any association with Schweihs and pointed out the significant age difference between them. His brother, Joseph Weiss, has been indicted by a federal grand jury for allegedly lying to the FBI regarding any potential ties between James Weiss and Frank Schweihs.

During the hearing, prosecutors revisited Weiss’s alleged ties to the Chicago Outfit, but Judge Seeger clarified that he was not considering these allegations as part of the sentencing.