Was it a friendly business meeting – or an alleged shakedown? That’s the question attorneys asked jurors to weigh Wednesday in the federal corruption trial of former Chicago Ald. Ed Burke, who for decades was the most powerful member of City Council.
That power was again under a microscope as Texas-based fast food mogul Shoukat Dhanani returned to the witness stand for a second day of questioning.
Burke was indicted in 2019 on charges of racketeering, extortion and bribery – accused of dangling his immense government power to reel in business for his law firm specializing in property tax reductions.
Prosecutors say Dhanani was a potential client Burke tried to lure. Dhanani owns roughly 800 fast food restaurants across the U.S., including 150 Burger Kings in the Chicago area – one of which is located in Burke’s 14th Ward.
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Burke was connected to Dhanani through a mutual friend, Texas politician Rodney Ellis. Burke can be heard on a wiretapped phone call – played for the jury this week – discussing Dhanani with Ellis, saying, “I’d also like to get some of his law business.”
Dhanani testified Tuesday that he met with Burke in person in June 2017 when he came to visit the Burger King at 41st St. and Pulaski Rd., walking around the property with the alderman as his company awaited a building permit to begin remodeling the location.
Following the site visit, Dhanani said he then went to lunch with Burke at the Beverly Country Club, where Burke gifted Dhanani a set of salt and pepper shakers that bore his name, and discussed his law firm. Days after the visit, the Chicago Department of Buildings issued the permit and construction at the Burger King was allowed to begin.
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In October, months after that visit, Dhanani said the city abruptly halted the remodel.
Dhanani testified Tuesday that he returned to Chicago in December 2017 to meet with Burke in an attempt to resolve whatever issue was causing the blockage. When prosecutors asked why he believed the work had been shut down, Dhanani said, “My gut feeling was maybe because I had not responded about the property tax business, maybe that’s why… I did not see any other reason why it would be shut down.”
Burke’s defense attorneys on Wednesday continued their cross-examination of Dhanani, drilling down on a lunch he had with Burke at the Union League Club during that second visit.
“In this meeting at the Union League Club, Mr. Burke did not threaten you?” Burke’s attorney asked.
“Correct,” the businessman answered.
“He did not demand that you give him legal business otherwise he would hold up your remodeling, did he?” Burke’s defense continued.
“Correct,” Dhanani said.
Dhanani said Burke advised him “to get involved more in the Chicago politics” and invited him to a fundraiser at Burke’s home for the upcoming Chicago mayoral race.
Dhanani donated $10,000 to Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, changing the course of the race and propelling Mayor Lori Lightfoot to victory in all 50 wards after the allegations against Burke were unveiled ahead of the 2019 election. His company also sent Burke’s office a list of all its Burger King locations in Illinois, though he ultimately did not transfer property tax work to Burke’s law firm.
On Wednesday, Burke’s attorneys attempted to paint Dhanani as eager to connect with the alderman for his own gain, highlighting another wiretapped call in which he told Burke he could not attend the fundraiser, then inquired about getting his Burger King business into Chicago’s airports.
“… last time, we discussed a little bit about those closed McDonald’s at Midway Airport,” Dhanani can be heard saying in the January 2018 call.
“Yes,” Burke responds.
“What, what do we need to do, or should we do to get started to see if we can get in with the Burger Kings?” Dhanani asked.
Ultimately, the remodel of that Burger King resumed and was completed by April, Dhanani said.
