Chicago Alderman Charged in Alleged Extortion to Get Business for His Law Firm
Image by Kate Gardiner
A federal criminal complaint unsealed Thursday charged Chicago alderman Edward 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 Chicago Tribune reports.
The charge carries a maximum of 20 years in prison on conviction.
“The complaint details Burke’s repeated attempts to pressure the executives into hiring his law firm, Klafter & Burke, including during a June 2017 lunch meeting at the swanky Beverly Country Club at 87th Street and South Western Avenue. The FBI had the meeting under surveillance,” writes the Tribune‘s Jason Meisner.
Read the Chicago Tribune article.
