![]() ![]() Though Link had assured his fellow Democrat that their conversation was “you and I talking,” the 24-year veteran of Springfield had been wearing an FBI wire as part of a deal he’d cut a couple years earlier after being caught evading his taxes. It was there that Link asked Arroyo to step outside, and then asked the critical question. Ten months into Arroyo’s arrangement with Weiss, the two met Link for a meeting in a Highland Park Wendy’s. If you pay a public official money in exchange for an official act, it is a bribe.” ![]() “He can call himself his consultant, his lobbyist, his dentist, his therapist – it doesn’t matter. Attorney Sean Franzblau told the jury during his closing arguments Wednesday. “He can call it whatever he wants,” Assistant U.S. While the defense said it was a legitimate business arrangement, the government called it a bribe – and the jury agreed. Part of that campaign included bringing on Arroyo to “consult” with him for $2,500 per month. In September 2018, Weiss founded a sweepstakes machine company called Collage LLC and promptly set to work on changing state laws to fully legalize the devices, which operate in a legal gray area in Illinois. The jury deliberated for about four hours after hearing the last bit of closing arguments in the morning, following roughly four days of testimony from 13 witnesses – including Link.īefore dismissing the parties, Seeger scheduled Weiss’ sentencing for Oct. ![]() Wearing a stony expression and a black suit, Weiss took occasional sips of water from a red plastic cup while Judge Steven Seeger read the guilty verdicts on Thursday afternoon. Neither attended any of the seven-day trial. Toni Berrios, D-Chicago, making him the son-in-law of longtime former Cook County Democratic Party boss Joe Berrios. More: Legislative watchdog Michael McCuskey sees job as educational opportunity The answer to that question became central to the federal government’s case against politically connected businessman James Weiss, which ended Thursday with a jury convicting Weiss on seven counts, including bribery and lying to the FBI.įederal sentencing guidelines dictate a maximum of 20 years in prison for the most serious of the charges, though those convicted of public corruption have faced wildly different sentences. Luis Arroyo, who had been pitching him – once again – on sponsoring legislation to regulate so-called sweepstakes machines, a legally murky form of gambling. “What’s in it for me, though?” Link asked then-state Rep. Terry Link asked a question to the same effect as the fast-food giant’s former slogan. Otherwise, it's a delight.CHICAGO – It wasn’t quite “where’s the beef?” but when he stepped outside a suburban Wendy’s with a fellow lawmaker on a hot August morning in 2019, then-state Sen. Sure, each character's romantic counterparts seem incidental, and the film occasionally borders on identity disorder with its travelogue elements (did we really need to see quite so many countries and cities?). They've each found a way to mute (in a good way) their individual sensibilities - Black's rocker-in-your-face-ness, Martin's sometimes too-cosmopolitan wit, and Wilson's aw, shucksness - that, when let loose, sometimes overwhelm. But what differentiates the movie from a National Geographic special are its three leads, all of whom exhibit exquisite control over their comedic gifts. ![]() In all earnestness, expect to be surprised at how educational The Big Year feels (just wait for the scene showing how the bald eagle mates). But what we get instead isn't a bird of the same feather instead, it's one that - wait for it - soars. So what if it's not laugh-out-loud funny? Yes, it could have used a few more major moments, and the competition could have been amped up for deeper laughs. The title is a decoy, really though THE BIG YEAR could have gone big (and gone home as yet another obnoxiously loud film), it instead delivers subtlety and soul. It's hard to imagine Jack Black and Owen Wilson in a quiet movie (Steve Martin is less of a stretch), but here they are. ![]()
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