Alleged contact with Outfit hitman roils Weiss case chicagotribune.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from chicagotribune.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
The brother of James Weiss, the politically connected businessman convicted in June of bribing two state elected officials, has been charged with lying to federal investigators about his brother’s contacts with notorious Outfit hitman Frank “The German” Schweihs. The charges unsealed Wednesday against Joseph “Joey” Weiss bring new mob intrigue to a case that already had elements of political .
The indictment against Joseph Weiss was handed up in August 2022 but only unsealed this week. Prosecutors moved to keep it under seal in February, arguing the investigation “extends beyond Joseph Weiss, and is ongoing.”
Lawyers for James T. Weiss asked a judge to give him a prison sentence of less than 27 months, arguing the bill Weiss wanted to pass would have generated at least one penny in tax revenue on each transaction on so-called sweepstakes machines.
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.