USA vs. Edward M. Burke
Edward M. Burke was the longest-serving member of Chicago’s City Council. But in 2019, a grand jury accused him of using his Council seat to steer business to his private law firm. He is charged with racketeering, bribery and conspiracy to commit extortion.
A federal jury found former Chicago Ald. Burke guilty in December of racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion.
The Chicago City Council icon turned felon is entitled to more than $540,000 he paid into a city pension fund — and a nearly $2.5 million payout from his campaign fund.
Prosecutors have called former Ald. Danny Solis one of Chicago’s “most significant cooperators in the last several decades.” He also helped them build a case against former Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.
Former Ald. Solis helped prosecutors build their blockbuster indictments against Ed Burke and Mike Madigan. Solis is now formally charged with bribery, but the feds are expected to seek dismissal of that charge if he holds up his end of their deal.
Burke faces charges of using his seat on the City Council to steer business to his law firm in schemes that involved the Old Post Office, a Burger King and a Northwest Side redevelopment project.
New duties at high court for U.S. District Judge Robert Dow Jr. could further delay racketeering case of Ald. Edward M. Burke, which Dow has presided over since 2019.
Judge sets Ald. Ed Burke’s racketeering trial for November 2023 — giving Burke a chance to run again
The feds’ case against Burke has lingered for more than three years at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse, thanks in large part to the COVID-19 pandemic and a mountain of pretrial motions filed in August 2020 that were only ruled upon last month.
A judge agreed Thursday to delay Solis’ prosecution on a bribery charge until April 2025. If he keeps up his end of the bargain, the feds are expected to seek dismissal of that charge.
Mayor Lori Lightfoot said she told lawyers to file a victim-impact statement in Solis’ case. She added, “no one is above the law and Chicago residents expect that their elected officials will be held accountable.”
It’s the formal understanding between U.S. Attorney John Lausch’s office and a man who could be remembered as one of Chicago’s most significant government moles. Solis’ cooperation was first exposed by the Chicago Sun-Times four weeks after he signed the deal.
The bribery count leveled against Solis in a one-page, lightly detailed document at least confirms that Solis will face public charges. A lengthy investigation into his own alleged misdeeds prompted him to turn on some of the state’s most powerful politicians.
New details of the investigation emerged Friday from an unsealed 160-page affidavit that had been filed to seek permission to raid Burke’s City Hall and ward offices.
The comment appears in a 227-page brief filed as part of Burke’s criminal case in federal court. Heavily redacted in key parts, it alleges the investigation of Burke revealed him “to be thoroughly corrupt and worthy of prosecution.”
Lawyers representing Ald. Burke in his high-profile corruption case also are alleging prosecutors withheld crucial information from Chicago’s chief federal judge as they sought to eavesdrop on City Hall phone lines, as well as Burke’s own cellphone.
