CHICAGO (AP) — A former Democratic leader in the Illinois House has been sentenced to nearly five years in prison for his role in a bribery scheme.
Luis Arroyo was handed a 57-month sentence by U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger on Wednesday after pleading guilty in November to a wire fraud count alleging he tried to bribe a state senator to help with promoting legislation.
A criminal complaint alleged Arroyo gave a $2,500 bribe to a sitting state senator who had been cooperating with federal investigators.
The senator was not named in the complaint. The bribe was part of a scam that involved popular but technically illegal "sweepstakes" games.
"I cannot begin to put into words how awful I feel," Arroyo told the judge as he asked for leniency, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. "What I did, awful."
The judge retorted: "You were a dirty politician who was on the take,"
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