Ex-Chicago Alderman Ed Burke spent 54 years in City Council — the longest reign in history.
Now, he’ll spend two years in prison after a jury convicted him of using his power in office for private gain.
WBEZ's Mariah Woelfel spoke with Melba Lara from federal court to discuss the sentencing.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity. Click the "play" button to listen to the entire interview.
MELBA LARA: Mariah, this has been such a high profile case here in Chicago. Tell us what happened during today's hearing.
MARIAH WOELFEL: Yeah, so both sides made their case for what they think Burke's punishment should be, so we heard arguments before the judge. Burke's team asked for zero prison time. They argued he's 80 years old and deserves mercy. They painted him really as a saint. You know, they read from more than 200 letters that have been filed on Burke's behalf, detailing good deeds and charitable deeds he's done. His attorney even said, 'Ed is really a priest without a collar.'
Prosecutors painted a much different picture in seeking a decade in prison for Burke. They called him a greedy opportunist who exchanged his favors for profit, and said he's shown no remorse or responsibility for his crimes. And then we did hear from Burke himself who made brief comments, which I'm sure we'll get into. And then the judge handed down her sentence: two years, as well as a $2 million fine and a year of supervised release.
ML: I'll ask you about Burke's reaction in just a moment, but briefly, what was he found guilty of?
MW: Sure, so he was found guilty late last year of 13 counts involving four schemes, and most of those schemes have to do with strong arming developers who needed zoning, or other help from the city, into hiring Burke's private property tax appeals law firm. So really using his public office for private gain.
ML: And did Burke himself speak during the sentencing?
MW: Yes, so he did give brief comments, and this is the first time we've really heard Burke address his crimes in earnest. He said, 'This is my blame alone, and I regret the pain and sorrow I've caused my family.' And then he asked the judge for compassion and mercy.
He said, 'whatever amount of time God has decided to leave me on this earth,' because he is 80 years old, he said, 'I'd like to spend as much of it as possible with my devoted wife and children and grandchildren.' So it's maybe not the remorse and responsibility prosecutors were looking for, but we did get a tiny peek of that.
ML: And what about the judge? Did Judge Virginia Kendall say anything in handing down the two-year-long sentence?
MW: Well she spent a lot of time talking about how these 200 letters of support moved her. She said she — not disregarded — but didn't note the ones that were about Burke using his public office to help people. But really the ones that hit her hard were the ones of just everyday people who Burke helped out with paying for funeral costs or, you know, supporting families who were grieving the loss of a loved one, or, you know, helping assist a police officer get back on their feet after being wounded on the job, all of these good deeds that people wrote about.
And she said she has never seen in all of her career the letters she's received from Mr. Burke. And then on the $2 million fine, she said she's never imposed such a large fine, as she characterized it, and she called it extremely harsh, though it is unclear, you know, how big of a dent that will make in Burke's pocket book. But she says she thinks it sends a message that if you want to commit public corruption by being greedy, it's going to cost you.
ML: Mariah, what was Ed Burke's reaction when the judge announced the sentence.
MW: So he really remained straight faced throughout all of the proceedings today. And afterwards, he smiled as he shook hands with supporters. That was about his only reaction.
ML: And we mentioned his wife Anne Burke earlier — she's a former Illinois Supreme Court Chief Justice — she had written a letter to the judge asking for leniency. How did she react?
MW: So she really broke down at two points during today's proceedings. She was sitting on the bench right behind Burke. One point she broke down was when Burke himself spoke, you know, that was the first time she kind of broke into tears, held her head in her hands. And then again as the sentence was read, though it's unclear if those were tears of relief or tears of sadness. I mean, it's two years in prison, but it really is a drop in the bucket of what prosecutors were asking for.
ML: And Mariah, briefly before I let you go, what's it like watching somebody like Ed Burke, who had all this vast amount of power in this city for decades be humbled in the courtroom?
MW: Yeah, I mean, it's certainly historic, and not only Ed Burke, but as you mentioned his wife, this is arguably, you know, one of the most powerful couples in modern Chicago history. And so it certainly is a noteworthy day in Chicago history. But this sentence is not the 10 years that prosecutors wanted. As I've noted, I think it would have been much more kind of mind-blowing and remarkable to see that hefty of a sentence handed down, but it was definitely noteworthy.
ML: Thanks, Mariah.
MW: Thank you.
