James T. Weiss, the Illinois businessman behind the electronic sweepstakes company Collage LLC, was convicted in June 2023 on all seven federal counts tied to a scheme to bribe two state lawmakers, sentenced to 66 months in federal prison, and had his conviction affirmed by the Seventh Circuit in August 2025. The James Weiss sweepstakes bribery case is now closed on direct appeal, and the sentence stands.1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094
The Scheme Behind the Charges
Collage LLC manufactured sweepstakes machines, and Weiss wanted favorable legislation moved through the Illinois General Assembly. Starting in fall 2018, his company began paying then-State Representative Luis Arroyo roughly $2,500 a month through Arroyo’s registered lobbying firm, Spartacus 3 LLC. The payments were dressed up as consulting fees. In exchange, Arroyo became what the court described as “an extremely vocal supporter of sweepstakes legislation.”1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094
Weiss tried to pull in a second lawmaker, then-State Senator Terry Link, paying him $5,000 and promising another $25,000. Link was already working with the FBI. He recorded his conversations with Weiss and Arroyo, and those recordings became the backbone of the government’s case.1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094
What Weiss Was Convicted Of
A federal grand jury charged Weiss with seven counts, and the jury convicted on every one after about four hours of deliberation at the close of a six-day trial in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094 The counts broke down as follows:
- Three counts of honest services wire fraud, each tied to an electronic communication advancing the scheme. The honest-services theory is grounded in 18 USC 1346, which extends mail and wire fraud to schemes depriving the public of an official’s honest services.2Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1346 – Definition of Scheme or Artifice to Defraud
- One count of honest services mail fraud, applying the same theory to a mailing connected to the scheme.
- Two counts of bribery, one for each lawmaker paid or offered payment in return for official action.
- One count of making false statements to the FBI when questioned about the transactions, an offense that carries up to five years in prison under 18 USC 1001.3Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 18 USC 1001 – Statements or Entries Generally
How the Government Proved It
Prosecutors leaned on two things: a financial paper trail and the undercover recordings. Checks from Collage LLC to Spartacus 3 LLC totaled about $32,500 to Arroyo over the life of the scheme. Weiss’s defense argued these were legitimate consulting payments. Link’s recordings, in which the payments were discussed alongside specific legislative action, undercut that argument. Arroyo’s own statements made during the scheme came in as coconspirator statements, a ruling the appellate court later upheld.1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094
The 66-Month Sentence
On October 11, 2023, Judge Steven C. Seeger sentenced Weiss to 66 months in federal prison, followed by a period of supervised release. The sentence was three months above the top of the calculated guidelines range of 51 to 63 months.1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094 The above-guidelines variance reflected the court’s view of Weiss as the driver of the corruption rather than a follower.
What Happened to Arroyo and Link
Arroyo pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 57 months in federal prison. He was also ordered to forfeit the $32,500 he received from Collage LLC.4United States Department of Justice. Former Illinois State Representative Sentenced to Nearly Five Years in Federal Prison
Link took a different route. After cooperating with the FBI, he pleaded guilty to a single count of filing false tax returns. In March 2024 he was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay roughly $83,000 in restitution. Prosecutors asked for the lenient sentence because his cooperation was central to making the case against Weiss and Arroyo.
The Appeal
Weiss challenged his conviction and sentence on several fronts. He argued his FBI statements should have been suppressed because he was effectively in custody when questioned, that Arroyo’s statements were wrongly admitted, that the jury instructions were flawed, and that 66 months was unreasonable.1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094
On August 28, 2025, the Seventh Circuit rejected each argument and affirmed the judgment “in all respects.” The panel held that Weiss was not in custody for Miranda purposes during the FBI interview, that Arroyo’s statements were properly admitted as coconspirator statements, that the jury instructions were not erroneous, and that the sentence was procedurally and substantively reasonable.1Justia. United States v. Weiss, No. 23-3094 With that ruling, Weiss’s conviction on all seven counts and his 66-month prison sentence remain in force.