CHICAGO – Chicago Bears Hall of Fame linebacker’s brother Brian Urlacher has been pardoned on federal charges he recruited for a multi-million dollar illegal offshore gambling ring.
Casey Urlacher, mayor of the tiny Chicago suburb of Mettawa, was among those pardoned in the closing hours of President Donald Trump’s tenure as part of a wave of leniency programs that benefited more than 140 people.
Casey Urlacher, 41, was charged last February and pleaded not guilty the following month.
He also played football, but with limited success, having played at Lake Forest College and in the Arena Football League before becoming mayor of the village of fewer than 550 residents in 2013.
Brian Urlacher has backed Trump by contributing to Trump’s campaign shortly after his brother was indicted and visited the White House, handing the president a No. 54 Chicago Bears jersey days after his brother pleaded innocent.
In a statement announcing the pardon early Wednesday, the White House said Casey Urlacher is “committed to public service and has consistently returned to his community,” adding that his mayoral position is unpaid and that he is “a devoted husband to his wife and a loving father to his 17 month old daughter. “