Mass exonerations in Chicago due to police corruption
Chicago, (MILLAT ONLINE):Prosecutors in Chicago on Thursday exonerated 15 convicts who claimed corrupt cops framed them, marking the third day of overturned convictions in America’s third largest city due to alleged police misconduct.
A judge vacated all 15 men’s convictions at once, in what is believed to be the first mass exoneration in the midwestern city — which has previously acknowledged police abuse in civil settlements.
They were all arrested and accused of drug crimes by a now-disgraced former police sergeant and his team of officers between 2003 and 2008.
Prosecutors said they could no longer be confident that the men received fair trials, since their convictions were based on police testimony.
Former sergeant Ronald Watts, now a convicted criminal, was accused of running a payoff scheme in which those who did not cooperate were arrested on false drug charges.
The 19-year police veteran was sentenced in 2013 to 22 months in federal prison for stealing money from a drug courier. He was caught in an FBI undercover sting.
Several of the officers who worked with Watts, also accused of wrongdoing, remain on the force, according to the exonerated men’s attorney.
“I personally believe that those officers have no credibility, and I believe they’re criminals,” said attorney Joshua Tepfer, adding that hundreds of other convictions need to be reviewed.
Chicago has a history of abusive police tactics going back decades. The city paid out $5.5 million in reparations to 57 people tortured for confessions over a span of two decades by notorious former police detective Jon Burge.
The prosecutor’s office said a team is reviewing past cases in a new effort to uncover injustice in the legal system.
Chicago’s mayor and police chief released a joint statement claiming “zero tolerance for abuse, misconduct or any unlawful actions by those who are sworn to uphold our laws.”
“The actions of Ronald Watts must be condemned by all of us, and we will continue our work to ensure the abuses of the past are never repeated in the future,” the statement said.
The 15 exonerated men have served their sentences, which ranged from probation to nine years in prison.
The exonerations marked the third consecutive day of criminal cases falling apart due to alleged Chicago police misconduct.
Jose Maysonet, imprisoned for murder since 1990, walked free on Wednesday, when five police officers refused to testify during his retrial, citing their right to avoid self-incrimination.
Arthur Brown was freed Tuesday after 29 years behind bars for murder. Prosecutors, in recently reviewing Brown’s case, said they had concerns about the fairness of his conviction.