Ed Burke Charged In Attempted Extortion Case

Ald. Ed Burke is charged with attempted extortion following an FBI investigation that involved tapping his cell phone, in a complaint unsealed today.

The alderman allegedly tried to land a fast-food company with more than 100 Illinois restaurants as a client for his law firm, Klafter & Burke, after the firm approached him for his support of a remodeling project. The fast-food company needed a building permit and a related driveway permit.

When the company didn’t hire Burke’s law firm to perform tax work, Burke planned to “play hardball,” obstructing its ability to obtain permits, the complaint says. 

A company executive also made a campaign donation to a different politician at Burke’s direction—“a contribution that (he) felt obliged to give in order to prevent Burke’s further interference with” his restaurant.

The FBI raided Burke’s office on Nov. 29. He had chaired the City Council’s Finance Committee for years. Following the news of the FBI probe, however, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel today removed Burke from his Finance chairmanship.

Burke has represented Chicago residents living on the Southwest Side for nearly five decades. He is up for election on Feb. 26.The complaint says that in October 2017, one of Burke’s ward employees stopped the fast-food company’s remodeling work and delayed the company’s attempt to obtain the driveway permit from Chicago’s Department of Transportation.

The fast-food company’s two executives met with Burke on Dec. 12, 2017 to discuss hiring Klafter & Burke for tax work, the complaint says. After they did, they received their driveway permit.