Ed Burke Trial: Closing arguments begin in corruption trial of former Chicago alderman
CHICAGO (CBS) -- Closing arguments got underway in the bribery and extortion case against Chicago's longest-serving alderman, Ed Burke.
Prosecutors spent the afternoon weaving together for the jury the testimony and evidence they've heard over the last month.
CBS 2 Political Reporter Chris Tye has covered the trial from gavel to gavel and had the latest from the Dirksen Federal Courthouse.
The jury heard essentially the best of what federal prosecutors presented over 20 days of testimony, including from three dozen witnesses and hundreds of recordings.
Prosecutor Diane MacArthur, among other things, said that "standing at the center of that steady drumbeat of unlawful activity is this man" and then pointed to Burke, who was sitting at his table with his attorneys. They added that Burke "had his hand out time and again demanding money and benefits from the very people he was supposed to be working on behalf of."
They said it was Burke's "racket and his pattern of racketeering."
But Burke's defense made the point that in several of these cases, the former alderman never actually benefitted financially he was looking for. Prosecutors argue the charge of attempted extortion doesn't require that Burke receive the thing he sought. They made repeated points about how Burke tried to get his goddaughter an internship at the Field Museum, but it didn't happen. He also tried to get the business of a Burger King franchisee, but that also didn't happen.
Prosecutors argued the ask didn't need to be fulfilled for Burke to be found guilty. They also pointed out that Burke's defense said at the beginning of the trial they would not hear any evidence showing Burke tried to make money off of his government position.
With a complex case involving four schemes and three defendants, how did prosecutors break it down for the jury?
They used charts and graphs to break down the information, but the prosecutors were taking their time. Prosecutors were expected to take around six hours on Wednesday for their closing arguments and then pick up again on Thursday morning.
Once the prosecution is done, the defense can begin their closing statements.
