Sex Crimes

October 11, 2023

Chicago PD Investigated Over Sexual Misconduct With Asylum Seekers

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

The Chicago police department is currently under investigation over sexual misconduct with asylum seekers who recently came to the area seeking refuge from their country of origin. In one case, an officer is accused of impregnating an 18-year-old refugee. A report indicates that one officer had sex with an underage female migrant and that other officers also had sexual relationships with refugees.

The city of Chicago has received 14,000 asylum seekers over the last year. While many have been accommodated with housing, at least 2,000 are living on floors of nearly every police precinct across the city. Some are sleeping at airports. In some cases, the immigrants were bussed there by Texas authorities, who refused to accommodate the migrants.

Investigations began in July after one city employee claimed to have first-hand knowledge of sexual misconduct. This prompted city officials to move the asylum seekers to another location. The Civilian Office of Police Accountability, in a turn of events, stated that no asylum seekers had stepped forward with allegations of sexual misconduct. COPA said the investigation would continue, but there have been no updates since then. It does not appear that anyone has been charged with a crime thus far, despite the allegations.

September 27, 2023

Chicago Man Gets 11-Year Sentence for Sexual Assault Witnessed During Remote Learning Class

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Cook County judge recently sentenced a Chicago man to 11 years in prison after he was seen sexually assaulting a 7-year-old female relative. The assault was broadcast during a remote learning class. The 21-year-old defendant pleaded guilty to felony sexual assault for the attack that occurred in October 2020 during the height of the pandemic. As part of a plea agreement, prosecutors dropped two other felony counts and an unrelated weapons charge count.

The assault occurred while the victim was at home and participating in a remote learning class during the COVID-19 pandemic. During a break, the teacher asked students to mute their computers and turn off their cameras. The victim muted her computer but did not turn off her camera. The teacher witnessed the assault taking place and called the principal of the school. The principal contacted the girl’s family, and the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services was notified of the assault. When the girl was asked about the assault, she told authorities that it had happened before. The 21-year-old defendant was arrested and charged with the sexual assault of a minor.

Criminal Sexual Assault Under Illinois Law

September 15, 2023

Chicago Man Found Guilty of Rape of 15-Year-Old Girl

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Chicago man was recently found guilty of the rape of a 15-year-old girl while she was walking home in 2017. The 66-year-old defendant had been charged with two counts of rape, attempted rape, criminal confinement, armed robbery, and battery with a deadly weapon. The defendant was convicted on each of the seven counts and faces a maximum prison sentence of 146 years behind bars. The defendant rejected a 40-year prison sentence in a plea deal offered by the state.

According to the charges, the defendant had followed the 15-year-old girl down the street as she was walking home. He dragged her into an alley, where he raped her, according to prosecutors. The same defendant has another count of rape filed against him. He has been charged in Chicago with raping another woman at knifepoint in East Chicago.

Sexual Assault Charges in Chicago, IL

August 25, 2023

Chicago Police Officer Charged for Sex Crimes Against Against Minors

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A 30-year-old Chicago police officer is facing charges that he sexually abused minors. In March, the officer was charged with aggravated sexual abuse of a minor. The Sheriff’s Department later uncovered evidence from his cell phone that he sexually abused other minors and recorded the abuse on his cell phone. The officer met his victims while working in his official capacity as a police officer in Cook County. He has since been charged with aggravated sexual abuse, two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor, and manufacturing child pornography. Investigators say that he invited the minors to spend the night at his home.

Aggravated Sexual Abuse

Illinois employs severe penalties for those who are convicted of sexual assault. Defendants face years in prison when convicted of sex crimes in Illinois. Judges are never authorized to grant probation in these cases. Prison time is required by law. In these cases, a defendant will serve a minimum of four years on the least aggressive charges filed against them. All defendants are required to register as sex offenders.

August 4, 2023

Police Charge Suspect With Sexual Assault for Incident in Public

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

Chicago police have charged a 31-year-old man with sexual assault. The suspect is accused of coming up behind the woman and groping her before running away. The incident occurred while she was trying to enter a nearby apartment. The woman had arrived in Chicago from out of town to visit friends. The suspect has been charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, unlawful restraint, and another count of aggravated robbery.

The incident occurred on July 8th. The suspect was not apprehended immediately, leaving residents of the Lincoln Park neighborhood in fear. The suspect was later taken into custody the following day when surveillance images identified him as the 31-year-old culprit. Police released images of the suspect from a CTA station.

Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault

May 24, 2023

Chicago Man Charged With Using Snapchat to Solicit Sexual Videos

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Chicago man has been charged with using the popular social media platform Snapchat to solicit sexually explicit videos from minors. This is not a unique case, as those charged with sexual predation often use the internet to find victims. It is, however, illegal to attempt to solicit sexual photos and videos from individuals that the perpetrator knows are underage. The key here, however, is what the perpetrator knew at the time.

For that reason, when law enforcement approaches an individual that they believe is using social media platforms to sexually exploit children and teenagers, they have to tell the suspect what their age is. In these cases, they can establish that the individual was targeting someone they knew was a minor. It is not illegal, only unseemly, to ask women over the age of 18 for sexually explicit content.

Analyzing Sexual Exploitation Prosecutions

May 17, 2023

Police Officer Charged With Criminal Sexual Abuse

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A Chicago police officer has been recently charged with a sex crime after he was accused of having a sexual relationship with a child. Police are remaining silent about the child’s age and gender but have charged the officer based on the child’s self-reported allegations. According to police, the attack occurred in a parking lot. The victim knew the attacker and identified him as a 30-year-old police officer in good standing with CPD.

In a case like this, the child will be interviewed by the Children’s Advocacy Center in conjunction with CPD’s Internal Affairs and the Civilian Office of Police Accountability. The officer has since been charged with a felony count of aggravated criminal sexual abuse against a child as well as aggravated battery in public.

According to authorities, the attack was violent. The officer is accused of groping the victim and then striking them. The defendant has been released on a $10,000 bond and is required to have no contact with the victim or anyone under the age of 18.

May 12, 2023

College Football Player Arrested on Charges of Sexual Assault

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

A college football player is facing serious charges of sexual assault after authorities say that he pushed a woman into a stairwell, knocking her unconscious and then raping her. The force of the shove left her with a fractured spine. He is now facing charges of felony sexual assault and misdemeanor domestic violence.

According to the allegations, the football player accused the woman of cheating on him. The argument grew tenser, and he pushed the woman into a stairwell. The woman was injured enough that she lost mobility, and she began pleading with the football player to call an ambulance. He refused, and instead, he raped her.

Had he called an ambulance, he would have likely faced charges for misdemeanor domestic violence, been required to take an anger management course, and possibly been able to establish himself at another university. But the event did not unfold that way, and he is now facing criminal sexual assault charges that would include significant prison time. At this point, he has been suspended indefinitely, pending the outcome of the investigation.

February 3, 2023

Tattoo Artist Accused of Sexual Assault While Out on Bond for Sexual Assault

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

This is part of the problem with the arguments against removing cash bail. The obvious thing is that cash bail does not prevent violent individuals from committing more violent crimes. It allows those who can afford to buy their way out of jail, do so. The idea that this makes you safer is silly.

Ending cash bail would give judges discretion over which cases an individual could be held for. In the case of sexual assault or other violent crimes, any form of bail would be denied.

In this case, a man was accused of sexually assaulting several female clients to whom he provided tattoos. He was charged with the crimes, bonded out of jail, and then committed several more sexual assaults. On Wednesday, he was denied bail.

February 1, 2023

R. Kelly Charges Dropped Causing Wave of Anger

by Law Offices of David L. Freidberg, P.C.

There are a lot of issues at play in this case that have nothing to do with justice or the adjudication of guilt for a crime. Ultimately, these issues may have caused Chicago prosecutors to take their chips off the board and play another game. However, at present, the sex crimes charges against R. Kelly in Chicago have been dropped.

Many people, especially the victims, are angry that the prosecutors initiated the effort to build a case against Kelly and then decided not to pursue it. This has left the four Chicago victims with misgivings over the process of justice.

The state decided that the cost of prosecuting Kelly for these crimes was not worth it. Kelly is serving a 30-year sentence and will not be eligible for parole until he is at least 80. Kelly was convicted on various federal charges, including sex trafficking, enticement of a minor, and production of child pornography. However, he has never been convicted on the four counts of sexual assault he committed against the four Chicago victims.