Chuck Rizzo, Jr. wouldn’t talk with us when he walked into court months ago, but now his defense attorneys are talking a ton in a motion to try to get him a reduced sentenced in his bribery and corruption case.
Rizzo paid bribes captured on video to local officials after getting busted and then while working with the feds in 2016.
Rizzo could do 10 years in prison. The feds are asking for 75 months. Rizzo is asking for a reduction to that.
In court documents his attorneys say he admits to paying bribes and stealing from his company. They also claim that it was not Rizzo’s idea to bribe corrupt officials, rather they came to him, Rizzo did not need to pay bribes to win garbage contracts.
They also wrote, if nothing else the payments were a type of insurance policy giving greater confidence the contracts would be renewed.
Defense attorneys say Rizzo provided the feds with more than substantial assistance and the 8 pages of detail they provided were redacted under seal.
The feds are continuing their investigation.
Rizzo remains locked up. In February after he had an altercation with a witnesses the feds called it witness tampering.
Rizzo will be sentenced on April 23. His father Chuck, Sr. also cooperated with the feds and will be sentenced in May. He’s looking at only 6 months.
