Lake Forest Developer Sentenced To Prison For Bribing Former Chicago Alderman Ed Burke

CHICAGO — Lake Forest developer Charles Cui was sentenced to 32 months in federal prison for bribing disgraced former Chicago Ald. Edward M. Burke in exchange for help securing a permit for a sign on a Northwest Side commercial property.

U.S. District Judge Virginia Kendall delivered the sentence at a hearing Friday in Chicago, which exceeded Burke’s prison term and marked the culmination of one of the city’s largest corruption cases in recent years.

Cui, 53, was convicted in December alongside Burke, who was found guilty on multiple charges, including racketeering and extortion.

Evidence showed he sought out Burke’s influence to resolve issues related to a 30-foot pole sign for a Binny’s Beverage Depot at 4901 W. Irving Park Road, which he considered crucial to a commercial real estate project Cui was overseeing.

Cui’s conviction included federal program bribery, making false statements to the FBI and using interstate commerce to promote unlawful activity.

Burke, who was fined $2 million, is set to begin his two-year sentence on Sept. 23. Cui is scheduled to report to prison on Jan. 10.

Peter Andrews, a longtime aide to Burke and the third defendant in the case, was acquitted of all charges.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Streicker said Cui's crimes were "repugnant to the rule of law" no matter how you measure them.

“His attempt to bribe his way out of a financial problem only deeply aggravates the public’s already cynical view that politicians can be bought and wealthy developers can corrupt the system to their financial advantage," Streicker said in a sentencing memo. "As an attorney, Cui’s criminal conduct, including his lies to the FBI, further brings the legal profession into disrepute."

Prosecutors' sentencing memorandum painted Cui as a “sophisticated attorney and property developer” who deliberately engaged in corruption to line his pockets.

Government attorneys pointed out that it was Cui, rather than Burke, who initiated the bribery scheme, highlighting the calculated nature of his actions.

“Motivated by sheer greed, Cui attempted to use corruption of an elected official as a tool to line his pockets with money,” Streicker said in the government's memo.

Streicker also criticized Cui for failing to take responsibility for his actions, noting that he “has never expressed remorse for his criminal activity.”

Cui continued filing motions asking the judge to find him innocent and throw out his conviction leading all the way up to his sentencing hearing.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Chapman echoed these sentiments during the sentencing hearing, arguing that a significant sentence was necessary to deter others from similar conduct.

“The sad reality is that every one of us in this courtroom knows exactly what the ‘Chicago Way’ means,” Chapman said, referring to the city’s notorious history of corruption. He added, “It renders us more like a punchline for late-night comedy.”

In her ruling, Judge Kendall emphasized the seriousness of Cui’s actions, noting that his decision to lie to federal investigators and withhold critical evidence from the grand jury compounded his offenses.

Kendall also pointed out that as a lawyer, Cui should have known better than to engage in such conduct, which she said undermines public trust in the legal system.

“You can’t go around the government processes,” Kendall said during sentencing, the Chicago Sun-Times reported. “You have to go through them legally.”

In court, Cui expressed remorse for his actions, referring to the situation as a “disgrace” and acknowledging the impact on his family.

However, the government’s sentencing memo noted that Cui had shown no remorse during the trial and had even attempted to obstruct justice by concealing incriminating emails from the FBI.

The memo described Cui’s lies to the FBI as particularly egregious, stating that he made false statements “with ice-water calm” in an attempt to distance himself from the bribery scheme.

Cui’s legal team argued for leniency, emphasizing that he had already suffered significant financial and personal losses, including the suspension of his law license.

Defense attorney Susan Pavlow described Cui as a decent man who found himself way out of his league when dealing with the powerful Chicago alderman.

“Charles lost his project, he lost his investment, he’s being sued for millions of dollars as a result of this," Pavlow said, the Chicago Tribune reported.

In their sentencing memo, Cui's defense argued that he was not as culpable as Burke, given that he was not a public official and was involved in only one of Burke’s four criminal schemes.

The defense memo noted that Cui’s decision to seek help from Burke was a “brief dalliance” rather than a pattern of criminal behavior, and his attorneys included several letters attesting to his character and his deep involvement with his family and golfing.

The case against Cui stemmed from his efforts to obtain a permit for the pole sign, which was denied by the Chicago Department of Buildings due to zoning restrictions.

After the denial, Cui reached out to Burke, even though the property was outside Burke’s ward. When Burke did not initially respond, Cui offered to steer property tax appeal business to Burke’s firm, hoping to leverage Burke’s clout in City Hall.

Prosecutors presented emails at trial showing Cui explicitly acknowledged Burke’s power in Chicago politics and understood he was committing bribery.

“I need his favor for my TIF money,” Cui wrote in one email. “He is a powerful broker in City Hall, and I need him now."

The government’s case also included recordings from wiretaps of Burke discussing the sign issue with his staff and working behind the scenes to help Cui. Despite Cui’s efforts, the city ultimately denied the permit and the sign was removed anyway.

Cui’s attempts to manipulate the city’s zoning processes did not stop with the bribe. He provided a doctored image of the sign to city officials, making it appear as though the sign was in use when it was not. The fraud was quickly discovered by a city official familiar with the area, leading to further complications for Cui’s project.

Cui’s sentence of 32 months in prison is eight months longer than Burke’s term, which Kendall justified based on Burke’s advanced age and poor health, as well as his long history of public service.

The judge noted that while Burke was convicted on more counts, including racketeering, Cui’s actions involved additional offenses, such as obstruction of justice and lying to the FBI.

Prosecutors had sought a prison term of more than four years in prison, the low end of federal sentencing guidelines, arguing courts needed to send a message repudiating the so-called "Chicago Way."

“There is a long history of bribery and graft that plagues the city of Chicago,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Tim Chapman said Friday at Cui's sentencing hearing, according to WTTW.

“It renders us more like a punchline for late-night comedy.”

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Read more:

• After Bribery Conviction, Developer Charles Cui Lists Lake Forest Home
• Lake Forest Developer Charles Cui Convicted Of Corruptly Offering Legal Work To Ed Burke
• Lake Forest Lawyer Pleads Not Guilty To Bribing Indicted Alderman