Ex-Chicago Alderman Sentenced to Two Years, $2 Million Fine (1)

Convicted former Chicago Alderman Edward Burke (D) was sentenced to 24 months imprisonment and fined $2 million for engaging in a series of racketeering and bribery offenses, the latest Illinois politician to face a prison sentence as part of the Justice Department’s probe of Chicago political corruption.

The government charged Burke, whose wife is a former Illinois Supreme Court chief justice, with exchanging his office’s influence with individuals and corporations—provided they hired Burke’s private law firm for tax-appeals business. He was convicted in December on 13 counts of racketeering, bribery, unlawfully accepting property, attempted extortion, and interference with commerce by ...