And...Longtime Ald. Edward Burke, one of Chicago’s most powerful figures and a vestige of the city’s old Democratic machine, has often been considered too clever and sophisticated to be caught blatantly using his public office to enrich himself.
But after years of dodging investigations while watching dozens of his colleagues hauled off to prison, Burke has been accused of crossing the line himself — and doing so in a quintessential Chicago way.
A federal criminal complaint unsealed Thursday charged Burke with attempted extortion for allegedly using his position as alderman to try to steer business to his private law firm from a company seeking to renovate a fast-food restaurant in his ward. The charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison on conviction.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... story.htmlProsecutors revealed during the 10-minute hearing that the FBI found 23 guns in the raids on Burke’s City Hall and ward offices in November. As a condition of his bond, Burke, a former Chicago police officer, was ordered to surrender the firearms and any others he may own within 48 hours of his release.
Although Burke has been an alderman for 50+ years, he was a Chicago cop before that. He has licenses as a private detective, a private security guard, and I believe also an Illinois carry license, all of which permit him to carry handguns. State law says mayors and aldermen are also peace officers, which also gives him carte blanche to carry handguns.
He also has a bodyguard detail.
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/c ... 55211.htmlBurke has been for years a vocal supporter of gun control in Chicago. In 1982, Burke was a driving force in pushing through the Council a historic ban on handgun ownership in Chicago.