Former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, who went to prison last year, after being convicted on bribery and racketeering charges, has been released from a federal prison less than halfway through his 2-year sentence, authorities confirmed Tuesday.

"Edward M. Burke transferred on July 8, 2025, from the Federal Correctional Institution (FCI) Thomson to community confinement overseen by the Federal Bureau of Prisons' (BOP) Chicago Residential Reentry Management (RRM) office. Community confinement means the individual is in either home confinement or a Residential Reentry Center (RRC, or halfway house).  Mr. Burke's projected release date from custody is February 20, 2026," a U.S. Bureau of Prisons spokesperson said in a statement.

Burke, 81, was convicted in 2023 on 13 felony counts, including racketeering conspiracy, federal program bribery, attempted extortion, conspiracy to commit extortion and using an interstate facility to promote unlawful activity.

Burke used his political clout to pressure real estate developers into hiring his private property tax law firm, prosecutors argued. A jury agreed, and Burke was sentenced to two years in prison. He began serving his prison sentence in September 2024.

After Burke completes the remainder of his sentence in a halfway house or home confinement, he is required to serve a year of court supervision. As part of his sentence, Burke also must pay a $2 million fine, and pay $65,000 in restitution to the owners of a Burger King restaurant he was convicted of extorting.

Burke most recently asked President Trump for clemency and to reduce his prison sentence.