Sen. Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) | Link's Facebook page
Sen. Terry Link (D-Vernon Hills) | Link's Facebook page
The Illinois Republican Party’s latest installment of the “Corruption Series” focuses on former State Senator Terry Link, a Democrat.
Link represented the 30th Senate District from 2017.
“The Corruption Series - Meet Terry Link! The former DEMOCRAT Illinois state senator was found guilty of filing a false tax return and failing to report approximately $200,000 in income he used for personal expenses, including gambling,” the Illinois Republican Party said on Facebook.
Link, who had been charged with tax evasion by the U.S. District Court on Aug. 13, 2020, resigned from his position in the Senate. He later testified in federal court, admitting to under-reporting his taxes for several years and using campaign funds for gambling and helping a friend in need, FOX 32 Chicago reported.
“I used some for gambling,” Link said according to Chicago Sun-Times. “The other part was, I was helping a friend who was in dire need.”
He also turned on the political class, cooperating with the FBI in a high-profile case. Link, who previously denied his cooperation with the FBI, revealed that he had made recordings for the agency from 2018 to 2019 as part of the trial against businessman James T. Weiss, who is accused of bribing Link and former State Rep. Luis Arroyo. The defense attorneys for Weiss maintain that the payments were legitimate consulting fees and deny any knowledge of a bribery scheme.
Link, who had cost the IRS $71,133 and the Illinois Department of Revenue $11,527, is scheduled to be sentenced on Oct. 6.
The 30th District, which Link represented, is located north of Chicago and encompasses the entirety or parts of various communities such as Beach Park, Buffalo Grove, Green Oaks, Gurnee, Indian Creek, Knollwood, Lake Bluff, Lake Forest, Libertyville, Lincolnshire, Long Grove, Mettawa, Mundelein, North Chicago, Park City, Riverwoods, Vernon Hills, Wadsworth, Waukegan, and Wheeling.
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