Former Illinois Sen. Terry Link gets probation in corruption case

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Former Illinois state Sen. Terry Link avoided jail time on Wednesday, when he was sentenced to three years of probation for federal tax charges accusing him of misusing campaign funds.

Link pleaded guilty in September 2020 to under-reporting his income in 2016 by more than $73,000 in campaign funds he spent on personal expenses. He also admitted to under-reporting his income from 2012 through 2015.

As part of his plea deal, Link cooperated with federal investigators in a federal bribery probe that led to charges against former state Rep. Luis Arroyo and businessman James Weiss, and wore a wire as part of an FBI sting operation.

Link also testified against Weiss at his trial last year. Weiss, who ran a sweepstakes gaming company, was convicted of paying thousands of dollars in bribes to Arroyo and Link, and was sentenced to 5 ½ years in prison. Unknown to both Arroyo and Weiss, Link already was cooperating with the feds when they arranged for Weiss to bribe Link.

Meantime, Arroyo pleaded guilty in November 2021 to his role in the bribery scheme, and was sentenced to more than 4 ½ years in prison.

While Link could have faced up to 3 years in prison for his crimes, federal prosecutors asked for the 3-year probation term, citing his cooperation with the probe against Arroyo and Weiss.