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. 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.
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.