The politically connected businessman who bribed two Illinois lawmakers in a bid to change state law in his favor has asked a judge for a relatively light prison sentence, arguing that the people of Illinois would have benefited from legislation at the center of his corrupt scheme.
Lawyers for James T. Weiss asked U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger to give him a prison sentence of less than 27 months, arguing in part that the bill Weiss wanted to pass would have generated at least one penny in tax revenue on each transaction on so-called sweepstakes machines.
Sweepstakes machines are unregulated gambling devices. They can look like video slot machines but offer “free play” options and coupons to users.
