Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, convicted last month on racketeering, extortion and bribery charges, will always be remembered for asking an informant this incriminating question: “So did we land the, uh, tuna?” The “tuna” was an illegal payoff from the developers of Chicago’s massive Old Post Office building, in the form of hiring Burke’s private law firm to conduct “tax business.” Klafter & .
Jurors in the racketeering trial of ex-Ald. Edward Burke were sent home late Wednesday after deliberating for a second full day without reaching a verdict. They are expected to resume their discussions Thursday. In total, the jury has so far deliberated for about 18 hours over three days. The panel was silent all through Wednesday, sending no notes or questions to U.S. District Judge Virginia .
CHICAGO — The racketeering case against former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke amounted to nothing but “noise and confusion,” Burke’s attorneys said in closing arguments Thursday, painting Burke as a devoted public servant persecuted by “desperate” federal agents. “The government got up here and promised you a corruption case,” attorney Joseph Duffy said. “In three years, you know how much money .
A former executive involved in the remodeling of a Southwest Side Burger King will testify Wednesday about his dealings with Ald. Edward Burke, who is accused of trying to squeeze the restaurant’s owners into hiring his private law firm for tax work. Jeff MacDonald, the former regional director of Tri-City Foods, is one of the final prosecution witnesses expected to be called in the Burger .