* Sun-Times…
When the FBI confronted businessman James Weiss in October 2019 about $2,500 that had been passed along to then-state Sen. Terry Link, an agent told him bluntly, “This looks like a bribe.”
Weiss insisted that wasn’t his intention. He claimed he’d hired a consultant on behalf of his sweepstakes gaming business, Collage LLC, to help get legislation passed in Springfield. He said he had to hire her “to get Terry Link neutralized with the gaming guys.”
Trouble was, that consultant had been concocted by the FBI amid a bribery investigation that eventually led to charges against Weiss and then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo. […]
The jury also saw a text exchange between Link and Weiss, in which Link asked Weiss, “Did you send me the check?” Weiss allegedly texted Link a picture of a Post-it note featuring Link’s name, phone number and post-office box.
Weiss allegedly wrote, “This is where Lou [Arroyo] told me to send it.”
* Tribune…
At the direction of the FBI, Link had told Arroyo to have the checks made out to a purported associate named Katherine Hunter, who didn’t actually exist.
When Weiss was later questioned by agents, he lied and said Hunter was a lobbyist who lived in Winnetka and that he’d spoken to her on the phone, according to a recording of the interview also played for the jury Monday.
Weiss’ attorneys have argued Weiss was paying Arroyo as a legitimate consultant for his business, and that trying to enlist another politician’s help is not a crime.
Near the end of his direct examination Monday, however, Link was asked by prosecutors what he believed the $2,500-a-month offering was for.
“Passing legislation for sweepstakes games,” Link said.
* Jason Meisner…
* Jon Seidel…
* And…
- Back to the Future - Tuesday, Jun 13, 23 @ 1:46 pm:
A friend send me a photo of the defendant in this case wearing a Mickey Mouse tie to court. Hard to figure out what point (if any) he was trying to make.
Although it appears that former State Senator Link needed a bit of a nudge by the FBI and the USDA, he should get some credit for stepping up and disclosing under oath how “lobbying “ was done in this case in Springfield.
Perhaps his stepping up will lead other members of the GA or some lobbyists to expose the problems these cases demonstrated in the lobbying culture in Springfield.
We only have a limited number of FBI agents in the US and it is bit of a black mark that Illinois takes up so much of the resources of federal law enforcement to deal with public corruption cases.
- Amalia - Tuesday, Jun 13, 23 @ 3:31 pm:
wondering how the Heidner Trib revelation affects. court took a break just after the story came out.