CHICAGO (WLS) — Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke is trying to have his sentence lessened for his corruption convictions.
Burke was found guilty of federal racketeering and bribery charges in the fall of 2023 and started serving his two-year prison sentence last September.
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It’s unclear what grounds Burke’s attorneys have argued, but he may be hoping for a sympathetic ear from President Donald Trump, who’s also faced federal prosecution.
For the past nearly 130 days, a federal minimum security prison in Thomson, Illinois, 150 miles west of Chicago, has been home to the once-powerful former dean of the Chicago City Council.
But now, days into the second Trump presidency, ABC7 has learned Burke is seeking a shorter prison sentence.
His request for commutation on the U.S. Department of Justice clemency website was listed as “pending” Wednesday, meaning the petition is under review.
“I would suspect he is going off of this was a witch hunt and that the Department of Justice of the last four years went on political witch hunts,” criminal defense attorney Anthony Burch said.
Burch is not involved in Burke’s case, but said the now 81-year-old man’s age and health are likely grounds his attorney is arguing for shortening his two-year sentence.
Burke was convicted in December 2023 on a range of corruption charges for using his official power to steer business to his private law firm. His own words were used to convict him.
But in matters of commutation, rather than pardon, that evidence could matter little.
“You’re basically just saying… ‘I may not deserve this, but please give me something less. Give me mercy. Give me grace,'” Burch said.
The typical commutation process could take months or years, but President Trump’s DOJ could expedite review.
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