* Tribune…
The sweeping racketeering indictment of Chicago Ald. Edward Burke isn’t expected to go to trial until at least next year as defense lawyers say federal prosecutors have yet to turn over a “vast” amount of undercover recordings, according to a court filing Thursday
Prosecutors said in the joint status report that they intend to ask U.S. District Judge Robert Dow at a hearing Tuesday to set a trial date for “early 2021” for Burke and his two co-defendants.
Prosecutors said they’ve turned over to the defense more than 44,000 pages of records so far, as well as additional electronic discovery and numerous boxes of hard evidence. In the coming months, prosecutors said, they will be turning over additional evidence pertaining to cooperating witnesses in the case.
* Sun-Times…
That report says prosecutors have continued to turn over evidence as recently as Nov. 5 to lawyers for Burke and his two co-defendants, Peter Andrews and Charles Cui. So far, it says the feds have turned over more than 100 discs, more than 44,000 pages and “several boxes of hard copy material.”
However, there is additional evidence prosecutors don’t want to turn over until six months before the trial, according to the report. Defense attorneys say they understand the additional material to be “vast, and is made up in large part of recorded conversations.” The defense attorneys want the material sooner.
Material related to Burke turned over so far has been “comprised of documents collected from various City Departments, subpoenaed from third parties, and seized from the 14th Ward Office and Committee on Finance” as well as “voluminous recordings,” the report says.
Lawyers for the defendants say they are still reviewing the material. The case is set for a hearing Tuesday.
- Been There - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:20 pm:
Even if Burke somehow gets out of this there is going to be a lot of dirt getting thrown out throughout this trial.
- Steve - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:22 pm:
This seems like a complex and unusual case. It also appears to be part of a larger investigation. These defense attorneys can’t even get all the evidence needed to defend their clients for some reason until 6 months before trial. A reason , hopefully, we will eventually find out.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:24 pm:
“Release all the tapes”
- Ed Burke, ageless and priceless, maybe.
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:27 pm:
===Release all the tapes”===
Something tells me that is actually what Alderman Burke does not want.
- Boone's is Back - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:28 pm:
I guess we know how much money 1 year costs…
https://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/chicago-politics/finance-report-ald-ed-burke-spent-more-than-400k-in-legal-fees-in-4th-quarter-of-2019/2201402/
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:30 pm:
=== Something tells me that is actually what Alderman Burke does not want.===
Agreed.
Like Rod… he does not want all the tapes released, but it’s a fun parlor game to tell folks you’re getting “railroaded” for the lawyers
- BigLou - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:33 pm:
Won’t anyone mentioned on the tapes be tainted, even if it was an innocuous conversation not about any special considerations etc, their opponent is going to say they were recorded on tape speaking to Burke. The implication alone is damaging.
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:36 pm:
When all this is done I hope all recordings and evidence on all these cases are turned over to Chicago Historical Museum. They can add a corruption wing.
- dying HDO - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:51 pm:
I’d love to hear the tapes on the judicial appointments he made right before the november 28, 2018 raid.
- Henry Francis - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:53 pm:
Look, I get that Eddie is entitled to the evidence that the feds are going to use against him. But it sounds like what he is asking for here is recordings of his own conversations.
- The Captain - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 4:59 pm:
Play all the tapes
Sorry, wrong trial, force of habit.
- Pundent - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 5:05 pm:
I think the objective behind crying “release all the tapes” is to be able to say “see, not everything I said was criminal.” It also creates the illusion that somehow there’s something captured that would have exonerated you.
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 5:10 pm:
Time for Eddie Burke to borrow Vincent Gigante’s bathrobe and slippers.
- Teddy Salad - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 5:13 pm:
could they be keeping the tapes because they could tip off further ongoing investigations?
Burke did dip his beak in a lot of pools.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 5:15 pm:
Hello Operator?
The former powerful Finance committee chairman Ed Burke is this/close to getting his trial date but there seems to be a bad connection to it all;
To wit;
The Feds are slow walking the releasing of the tapes and this isn’t making Eddie a happy lad.
Me thinks his singing days on a phone are over, but the Feds seem to have his best of songs waiting for a gold record release.
The ageless and priceless Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court Anne Burke isn’t over the moon about this, when the Burkes were seen eating with Jay Doherty in a hush-hush table for all to see. Natch.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 5:16 pm:
Teddy, that was my first thought.
- Paddyrollingstone - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 5:48 pm:
Teddy - he still has a right to the evidence that was collected in the G’s investigation against him. All of it will be under a protective order anyway. Its not like his lawyers want this stuff released to the public they just want it released to him for use in his defense.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 6:04 pm:
Oh Ed, I am not sure you really want them all.
On a serious note, I hope the prosecution isn’t doing anything silly here like with Shock. I would like to see Burke do some time.
- Steve - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 6:11 pm:
The longer this goes on the bigger legal bill for Ed from his attorneys. The lawyers probably don’t want to end too soon. Ed may be using a walker soon. Ed might be changing lawyers before trial to attempt to start the clock over. Ed might not do a day in jail if there isn’t a trial anything soon.
- Leslie K - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 6:20 pm:
===could they be keeping the tapes because they could tip off further ongoing investigations?===
I’m thinking that’s highly likely.
- Rutro - Thursday, Jan 30, 20 @ 6:59 pm:
Maybe Eddie should ditch the Rolex at the trial? Not earning any sympathy.
- OneMan - Friday, Jan 31, 20 @ 9:02 am:
My guess is the first cache they released were hundreds of hours of conversations with Sneed.
Get it, forget it.