Former Illinois state Rep. Luis Arroyo shared a post on his personal Facebook page late Tuesday night criticizing a "fake friend," days after resigning from office in the wake of his arrest and indictment on a federal charge of bribery.
Arroyo shared the post to his private account Monday night from a Facebook page titled "Alien Star." The image depicts a cartoon silhouette of two hooded figures - one bent down to tie the shoelace of the other, who's seated on a chair with a knife poised above the kneeling figure's back. The caption on the photo reads, in all capital letters, "The most dangerous creature on this Earth is... a fake friend." [[564568201, C]]
Arroyo's attorney did not immediately respond to request for comment on the post.
Arroyo's post on social media came just days after he resigned from his position as state representative. Powerful House Speaker Michael Madigan announced Arroyo's resignation in a statement Friday, after beginning the process to remove him from office earlier in the week.
Arroyo, 65, was arrested on Oct. 27 and charged with one count of federal program bribery, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois. The criminal complaint against Arroyo alleges that in August, the then-Democratic lawmaker offered an Illinois state senator $2,500 per month in exchange for the senator's support of sweepstakes-related legislation.
The senator, referred to in the complaint only as "Cooperating Witness 1," wore a wire to record conversations with Arroyo, working as a law enforcement source after the FBI confronted the senator with information alleging he or she submitted false income tax returns to the Internal Revenue Service. [[563889262, C]]
"This is you and I talkin' now... Nobody else," the senator told Arroyo in one recorded conversation, according to the complaint, which alleges Arroyo responded, "Whatever you tell me... stays between you and me... That's my word."
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"If you put a price on it, I mean, if you want to get paid, you want somebody else to get a check monthly, a monthly stipend, we could put them on contract. We could put you on a contract. You tell me what it is. Tell me what you need," Arroyo added, the complaint alleges.
Arroyo "entered a plea of not guilty and believes that he will eventually be completely vindicated of the charges against him," his attorney said in a statement, declining to comment further.
Arroyo represented the 3rd District on Chicago's Northwest Side since 2006. Prior to his resignation, he served in House Democratic leadership and chaired an appropriations committee. If convicted, he could face a prison sentence of up to 10 years.
Arroyo is the latest in a string of elected officials in Chicago and across Illinois who have been charged with crimes or whose homes and offices have been raided.
