A Chicago businessman with connections to the mob is facing tax evasion charges over $1.2m in secret payments he received from sweepstakes gaming operators. Robert Dominic allegedly received the money between 2012 and 2020 from two companies, with the funds going through a fake entity his then-girlfriend controlled.
got married just days before she was set to appear at a grand jury
He continued receiving the payments through a different corporation a new woman controlled after the death of his previous girlfriend in January 2020. The pair got married just days before she was set to appear at a grand jury in October 2024, which meant she didn’t have to testify.
71-year-old Dominic is now awaiting an arraignment date for the tax evasion and failure to file tax return charges. It’s unclear how much money in unpaid taxes he owes from the $1.2m in total payments.
Sweepstakes gaming machines operate in a legal gray area in Illinois, meaning they are more or less unregulated and operators don’t pay proper taxes due to gambling law loopholes. They provide “free plays” and the gamblers win prizes or coupons instead of real money, which is how they circumvent the rules. Sweepstakes devices look like slot machines and are found at many bars and convenience stores around the state.