Crime & Law
Board Yanked Convicted Ex-Ald. Ed Burke’s $96K Annual City Pension Just Minutes After Sentencing, Records Show
Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke enters the Dirksen Federal Building ahead of his sentencing hearing on June 24, 2024. (WTTW News)
Convicted former Ald. Ed Burke (14th Ward) had his annual city taxpayer-funded pension of more than $96,000 yanked immediately after being sentenced June 24 on federal corruption charges, according to records obtained by WTTW News.
The board of the Municipal Employees’ Annuity & Benefit Fund of Chicago voted at its June meeting to suspend Burke’s pension once he was sentenced on 13 counts of racketeering, attempted extortion and attempted bribery. A jury found Burke ran City Hall like a mafia don for decades, shaking down those who needed or desired an official action from their elected leaders.
U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Kendall sentenced Burke to two years in prison and imposed a $2 million fine shortly before 3:30 p.m. June 24.
Less than 30 minutes later, pension fund executive director Tiffany Junkins directed her staff to stop the $8,027 per month pension payments to Burke and to cut him a check for $543,516.92 — the amount he contributed to his pension during the 62 years he spent working for the city of Chicago and its sister agencies, plus interest, according to records obtained by WTTW News through the Freedom of Information Act.
The pension fund board approved the action at its meeting on June 17, but held off on enforcing the suspension until after Burke was sentenced.
Burke collected his pension for less than 11 months, totaling approximately $88,000. He is scheduled to report to prison in September.
The financial impact of his lost pension might be somewhat muted for Burke, since court records show he has a net worth of $30 million. In addition, his main campaign account still has approximately $8 million in investments that he can use to fund his likely appeal.
Illinois law allows the boards overseeing pension funds to strip employees of their pensions only if they are convicted of a felony “relating to or arising out of or in connection with” their job committed while employed by a state or local government agency.
Burke, 80, who did not seek a 15th term on the Chicago City Council, left office after 54 years on May 15, 2023. Charles Sklarsky, Burke’s lawyer, did not respond to a request for comment from WTTW News.
When he stepped down, Burke was the longest serving member of the City Council, earning more than $120,408 annually.
Thirty-eight members of the City Council have been convicted of a crime since 1969.
Burke stopped well short of accepting responsibility for the crimes he was convicted of, instead expressing regret for “the pain and sorrow I have caused my dear friends and family.”
Pension benefits for members of the City Council are calculated differently than for any other city employee. While city workers can receive as much as 70% of their average monthly salary, calculated based on their final four years of work, alderpeople can receive up to 80% of their salary after their retirement.
In addition, alderpeople also maximize their pension payments after 20 years of service, while all other city employees must work for 30 years to maximize their pension.
Tapped to replace his father, Joseph, after his death from cancer in 1968, as the 14th Ward’s Democratic committeeperson, Burke went on to win a special election to replace his father when he was just 26.
Burke was sworn into office by former Mayor Richard J. Daley on March 14, 1969 — more than four months before American astronauts would land on the moon and take a giant leap for mankind.
Burke was replaced by Ald. Jeylu Guiterrez, who was born 20 years after Burke first took office.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
Contact Jared Rutecki: @JaredRutecki | (773) 509-5372 | [email protected]
