Illinois Seeks to Prevent Ex-Police Commander From Getting Pension

The Illinois attorney general is suing to stop a former Chicago police commander convicted of lying about the torture of suspects from getting his $3,000 a month pension.

Attorney General Lisa Madigan's office said Monday it has filed a lawsuit against Jon Burge and the Policemen's Annuity and Benefit Fund of Chicago seeking to end Mr. Burge's pension benefits.

Mr. Burge was sentenced last month to 41/2 years in prison for lying in a civil lawsuit when he said he'd never participated in or witnessed the physical abuse of suspects. A pension board vote on terminating Mr. Burge's pension failed last month.

Ms. Madigan's lawsuit claims that the pension board unlawfully allowed Mr. Burge to keep the benefits.

Mr. Burge's attorney Thomas Pleines said his office intends to "vigorously defend" Mr. Burge's right to keep his benefits.

"These [pension board] trustees are elected to their office, and they took a long, hard look at the facts in the case, and they rightfully concluded that events that occurred 10 years after Jon Burge was no longer a police officer were not related to his service, and therefore he was entitled to keep his pension," Mr. Pleines said.