Burke, described as tall, well-built, and honest-looking, acted as a "front man" for the Egan gang in various forgery and fraud schemes.

Burke, Gus Winkler, and the other former Egan's Rats members, working on behalf of the Purple Gang, were the prime suspects in the March 1927 Milaflores Massacre.

Based in Chicago, Burke and his associates were involved in murders and armed robberies as far east as Brooklyn, New York and Paterson, New Jersey and as far south as Louisville, Kentucky.

The murders received international press attention and within a few weeks Burke was named by Chicago police as a principal suspect.

In December 1929, an intoxicated and paranoid Burke, using the alias Fred Dane, was involved in a minor traffic collision in St. Joseph, Michigan.

A Michigan police bulletin offering a $1,000 reward said in underscored type: "This man is dangerous and will shoot to kill and every precaution should be used in making his arrest."

[10] Later, his wife would claim no knowledge of Burke's real identity or his criminal past, saying she thought her husband was just a businessman who regularly traveled.

On March 26, 1931, a citizen in the Green City area who had read of Burke and seen his picture in True Detective magazine[11] recognized him and notified authorities.