A newly unsealed federal indictment lifted the curtain Wednesday on alleged ties between organized crime and a public corruption investigation involving a relative of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios.
The two-count indictment charged Joseph Weiss, brother of convicted businessman James T. Weiss, with lying to the FBI about his brother and the late Chicago mobster Frank “The German” Schweihs, who died in 2008.
Joseph Weiss is also charged with attempted obstruction of justice.
The indictment refers to a separate investigation with a grand jury number tied to the indictment earlier this year of Iman Bambooyani, an associate of James Weiss, for an alleged prostitution conspiracy.
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, saying the investigation “extends beyond Joseph Weiss, and is ongoing.”
Joseph Weiss’ attorney, Lisa Wood, and James Weiss’ attorney, Ilia Usharovich, each declined to comment.
A federal jury found James Weiss guilty in June of bribing two Illinois lawmakers: then-state Rep. Luis Arroyo and then-state Sen. Terry Link. James Weiss is due to be sentenced next week by U.S. District Judge Steven Seeger.
James Weiss is the husband of former state Rep. Toni Berrios and son-in-law of former Cook County Assessor Joseph Berrios.
The newly unsealed indictment alleges that Joseph Weiss lied to the feds nine times on Jan. 13, 2022, when:
- He denied knowing anyone who did business with or had a relationship with Schweihs.
- He said he had “no idea” if Schweihs and an unnamed associate of James Weiss were connected in any way.
- He said he didn’t know if James Weiss had done business with the unnamed associate but said he knew they were good friends.
- He said he’d never heard anything about Schweihs.
- He denied knowing if James Weiss ever had anything to do with Schweihs.
- He denied knowing how James Weiss and the unnamed associate had met.
- He denied hearing that James Weiss once had a problem and went looking for protection.
- He denied being part of a conversation where the story of James Weiss meeting the unnamed associate was discussed.
- He denied hearing that James Weiss had once reached out to Schweihs, who was out of town, and that somebody told James Weiss to see the unnamed associate.
After speaking with investigators that day, Joseph Weiss allegedly told them, “I swear I’ve been honest,” and, “I think I’ve given you what I know.”
James Weiss sought leniency last week in his bribery case involving Arroyo and Link, arguing that the people of Illinois would have benefited from legislation at the center of his scheme.
An October 2020 indictment against Arroyo and James Weiss alleged that Arroyo served as James Weiss’ bought-and-paid-for member of the Illinois House of Representatives. In exchange for $32,500 in bribes, Arroyo agreed to vote for and promote sweepstakes legislation in Springfield.
Weiss was involved with sweepstakes machines. The unregulated gambling devices can look like video slot machines but offer “free play” options and coupons to users.
When the Illinois General Assembly passed landmark gambling legislation in 2019 without sweepstakes language, Arroyo and Weiss turned to Link, a key lawmaker on gaming issues.
But Link was secretly cooperating with federal investigators. He recorded Arroyo and testified against James Weiss.
Link is due to be sentenced March 6 for tax crimes. Arroyo is serving a nearly five-year prison sentence.
