Ed Burke sentenced to 2 years in prison on corruption charges

Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burkę was sentenced to two years in prison Monday and fined $2 million after he was found guilty of racketeering, bribery and attempted extortion late last year.

The sentence is below the federal sentencing guidelines of 6½ to 8 years. While U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall was required to determine how those guidelines applied to Burke, she was not required to follow them.

Before handing down the sentence, Kendall noted the many letters of support for Burke from “former U.S. attorneys or judges” but also from “just people … just people you’re kind to.”

“I don’t think that it is appropriate to say that the activity in 2016 to 2018 wipes out all of this,” she said. “I have this window right in front of me.”

But she added, “I don’t know how to impress upon those who serve the public that what they are sacrificing might not simply be their own lives” or freedom, “they’re a part of this erosion. Part of this chipping away at our democracy.”

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