Longtime Ald. Ed Burke spent two years trying to “land the tuna” by signing the developer of the city’s massive Old Post Office as a client for his private law firm.
But for all the complaining and alleged cajoling through then-Ald. Danny Solis, an agent for that developer told a federal jury Friday exactly how much it wound up paying Burke’s firm:
Nothing.
That testimony came as federal prosecutors finished presenting their evidence to the jury that Burke tried to leverage his political clout to strong-arm business for his tax appeals firm out of 601W Cos. LLC of New York.
They closed their presentation on that piece of Burke’s indictment by showing jurors a recorded Nov. 9, 2018, meeting between Burke and Solis. Solis told his colleague about another developer from his ward and said, “Maybe he’s somebody else I can bring you.”
“Listen, any of these developers that come across … shoo ‘em in,” Burke eventually said.
Solis also told Burke he’d likely only serve two more years on the City Council. When Solis later asked him to “remember me,” Burke told him, “We come from the old school.”
The FBI raided Burke’s office 20 days later.
Prosecutors then began presenting evidence to jurors of another alleged scheme in Burke’s indictment, in which Burke co-defendant and developer Charles Cui is accused of hiring Burke’s law firm as Cui sought Burke’s help at City Hall.
The testimony wrapped the fourth week of Burke’s trial, though it has been interrupted at times by the Thanksgiving holiday and lawyers’ positive COVID-19 tests. However, prosecutors told U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall on Friday they are on track to rest their case by Dec. 11.
Earlier in the trial, they presented their case that Burke threatened to block an admission fee increase at the Field Museum because it didn’t respond when Burke recommended his goddaughter for an internship. The feds are expected to return next week to evidence of their allegation that Burke separately tried to lean on the owners of a Burger King in his ward for law business.
Burke faces charges of racketeering, bribery and extortion. On trial with him are Cui and Burke political aide Peter Andrews. The FBI built its case partly with the help of Solis, who agreed to wear a wire after agents confronted him with evidence of his own alleged wrongdoing.
Solis left office in 2019. Burke left in May.
Before the feds moved on from the alleged Old Post Office scheme, prosecutors called Bryan Oyster of Jones Lang LaSalle to the stand. The firm managed buildings in Chicago for 601W, including the Old Post Office.
Burke attorney Chris Gair said in his opening statement there was “no doubt that Ed Burke was interested in getting legal work” from 601W. He also said Burke “never got anything.”
Oyster wound up telling jurors about agreements that 601W explored with Burke’s law firm at the time, Klafter & Burke. They were for the Sullivan Center Offices, at State and Madison, and for 1 S. Wacker.
The Sullivan Center deal called for Klafter & Burke to receive a $15,000 annual fee and 20% of any property tax refund it secured. The proposed deal for 1 S. Wacker called for a $20,000 annual fee with other terms similar to the Sullivan Center deal.
However, Oyster testified that Klafter & Burke terminated the Sullivan Center deal in December 2018, shortly after the raid on Burke’s offices, and 601W never wound up making any payments under it.
Oyster also told jurors the 1 S. Wacker deal was never finalized.
