Former Alderman Burke gets two years, fined $2 million in Chicago corruption case

CHICAGO – Ed Burke, who served on the Chicago City Council longer than anyone in history, was sentenced to two years in prison Monday for racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion of businesses who did business with the city.

He must also pay a $2 million fine.

Federal prosecutors had asked for eight years.

Burke, 80, chaired the City Council’s Finance Committee and served as an alderman for 54 years before leaving his seat last year before being found guilty in Dec. 2023. Prosecutors said he used that power to steer property tax business to his law firm.

Burke “abused his power and exploited his office for private gain, again and again and again and again and again, over a period of years,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said in court.

When it was his time to speak, Burke expressed regret for the “pain and the sorrow that I have caused my family and my dear friends.”

Burke is married to Ann Burke, the former chief justice of the Illinois Supreme Court. She retired from the bench in Nov. 2022.