Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
A prominent politician was found guilty in a landmark decision of bribery and extortion.
Over the course of 16 days, 38 witnesses testified before a jury comprised of nine women and three men, with the prosecutors arguing that Burke was “an extortionist” and “a bribe taker.”
Edward M. Burke will go down in Chicago history books as the dean of the City Council, a political giant who learned how to use his influence at the height of the Machine’s power, a judge maker, a storyteller armed with old tales, and a foe of Harold Washington.
Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
Moreover, Chicago’s longest-serving council member will now be known for being a blatant extortionist who exploited the perks of his position to pressure both large and small developers, complaining with impunity that “They can f— themselves” for not playing ball.
At the end of a landmark corruption trial that Chicago had to wait five years for, a federal jury on Thursday embraced that image when it found Burke guilty of racketeering, bribery, and attempted extortion after nearly 23 hours of deliberation.
Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
Acting U.S. Attorney Morris Pasqual stated, “This case was about bribery and extortion occurring at the highest levels of Chicago city government.”
“Defendant Burke held out a hand for money in this case. He connected the provision of funds to him with his official actions.
Former and current City Council colleagues describe Burke’s conviction as “tragic” and “sad.”
Nine women and three men on the panel determined that Burke had engaged in racketeering activities in each of the four schemes detailed in his extensive indictment from May 2019.
They involved the Field Museum and the enormous Old Post Office, which is situated between the Eisenhower Expressway and the Chicago River.
They also involved Burger King located in Burke’s 14th Ward and Binny’s Beverage Depot located on the Northwest Side.
They took this action after prosecutors decided against calling notorious FBI mole Danny Solis to testify.
Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
It begs the question of whether Solis will testify in the upcoming trial of former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, given that their strategy worked and he was instead called to testify by Burke’s defense attorneys.
However, the covert recordings Solis made for the feds were still visible to the jurors. Burke was audibly and visually expressing his attempts to compel the Old Post Office developers in Chicago to submit.
Video recordings were taken in Burke’s City Hall office, which was embellished with images purporting to depict the Haymarket Riot and the Great Chicago Fire by the well-known history buff.
Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
In order to get business for his private tax appeals law firm, Klafter & Burke, Burke put pressure on the developers.
In addition, he made threats against the Field Museum for not responding to his recommendation that the former Ald. Terry Gabinski’s daughter be given an internship.
Charles Cui, one of Burke’s co-defendants, was also found guilty by the jury of lying to the FBI and accepting bribes. On the other hand, they cleared longtime Burke assistant Peter Andrews, the second co-defendant.
Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
Attorneys for Andrews signed “Team Pete,” a statement from his legal team, referred to Andrews’ indictment the decision a “well-deserved Christmas blessing” and an overreach.
The statement said, “We are appreciative to the twelve jurors on behalf of our client who recognized what we have known for more than four years: Pete Andrews did not belong in this indictment.”
Andrews was spotted with a Santa hat on as he left the courtroom.
Even so, Thursday’s decision marks a dramatic conclusion to a year filled with Chicago corruption trials. Following federal public corruption investigations, five trials in 2023 resulted in the convictions of nine persons, including Burke.
Burke now joins a long list of Chicago officials who have been found guilty of a crime, but his conviction is a landmark in and of itself. Since 1973, he is the 38th alderman to be found guilty, and the fourth in five overall years.
Ed Burke, the “head of the old regime,” is being tried for the first time for corruption.
Burke put his hands to his chin and listened as U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall read the verdict on Thursday. The counts against Burke alone took roughly six minutes to go through. Burke then turned to face each juror as Kendall’s deputy conducted a poll of the group to confirm the verdict.
Following the jury’s dismissal from Kendall’s 25th-floor courtroom, Chief Justice Anne Burke, a retired member of the Illinois Supreme Court, approached Burke.
They gave each other a hug and a kiss Later, Burke left the Dirksen Federal Courthouse through the revolving doors without saying anything.
Nevertheless, a small smile flashed across his face as he greeted reporters and entered a black SUV accompanied by his spouse.
Burke’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 19 by Kendall.
However, since the day is a federal holiday, that will probably change. Burke, who turns 80 in a week, could spend a long time behind bars.
Two members of the jury who claimed to be from Chicago were among those who found Burke guilty.
One said that Ravenswood is her home according to the other, he lives close to Fulton Market.
A restaurant host, a DCFS child welfare specialist, and a graphic designer were also on the panel.
A brief statement was made by Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson following the announcement of the verdict. The jury “decided today” that elected officials who disobey the law should be held accountable, he declared.
Burke, an influential and seemingly untouchable politician from the old school, assumed office in 1969, when Mayor Richard J. Daley presided over City Hall.
Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
After that, Burke represented Chicago’s 14th Ward for 54 years, retiring from office in May of last year. In the meantime, he became almost unmatched in power as the chairman of the Finance Committee for several decades.
He had a well-known falling out with the late Harold Washington, the first Black mayor of Chicago.
During the Council Wars, a group of mostly white alderpersons was led by Burke and then-Ald. Edward Vrdolyak to oppose Washington.
He later gained notoriety as the City Council’s “dean” or “parliamentarian,” a captivating storyteller who would open or close floor speeches with obscure historical anecdotes.
Additionally, Burke advanced judges to the bench outside of city government by serving as the Cook County Judicial Slatemaker.
Ed Burke:1Appeared to be Hanging out of cash Now.
Everything changed on November 29, 2018, when the FBI raided Burke’s City Hall and ward offices, famously covering windows with butcher paper and announcing the start of what turned out to be a massive public corruption investigation that is almost ten years old.
Five years prior, butcher paper announced an FBI raid on “untouchable” Ed Burke’s offices, altering the course of Chicago history.
Jurors heard during Burke’s trial that the FBI had knocked on the backdoor entrance of Burke’s 14th Ward office at approximately 8:30 a.m.
Agents were given the “lay of the land” by a cooperative ward worker, and then they spent the next five hours painstakingly documenting and taking pictures of everything in Burke’s office.
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