Former Rep. Arroyo Pleads Guilty to Bribery Charge
Former State Representative Luis Arroyo pleaded guilty to a federal bribery charge Wednesday.
Once powerful northwest side lawmaker Luis Arroyo has pleaded guilty to federal bribery charges.
More from the Chicago Tribune:
Former state Rep. Luis Arroyo pleaded guilty Wednesday in a bribery scheme involving a shadowy lobbying effort to expand the use of sweepstakes gaming machines that also led to criminal charges against the son-in-law of onetime Cook County Democratic boss Joseph Berrios.
Arroyo, 67, who resigned soon after he was charged with bribery in October 2019, changed his plea during a telephone hearing before U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger. Sentencing was set for Feb. 18.
The maximum penalty could be 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised release after prison, but his lawyers and prosecutors can make their own recommendations for the judge to consider for sentencing. The government is also seeking forfeiture from Arroyo of up to $32,500, an amount contested by the defendant.
And when Seeger asked how he would plead, Arroyo said: “I plead guilty, judge.”
A superseding indictment filed last year added new wire and mail fraud charges against Arroyo and also charged James Weiss with bribery, wire fraud, mail fraud and lying to the FBI. Weiss, who is married to Berrios’ daughter, former state Rep. Toni Berrios, has pleaded not guilty.
The feds allege Arroyo and the son-in-law of former Cook County Democratic Chairman Joe Berrios conspired to bribe a state senator, widely believed to be former Sen. Terry Link, who was also charged with financial crimes.