Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog

February 15, 2023

Re-Entry Remains Difficult for Those Serving Sentences

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

Illinois officials have emphasized re-entry services for inmates who have been convicted of serious crimes. But finding steady employment, even for those who earned master’s degrees while inside, remains difficult. Part of the issue is related to their incarceration, but another part of the issue has to do with the fact that employers are not likely to hire someone with a master’s degree for low-level warehouse work. The employer will figure they will get bored with the job and be gone in a few weeks.

Now one former inmate who was convicted of murder says he’s having difficulty finding work despite the fact that he has a master’s degree. It further becomes a problem when the former inmate has no legitimate means of earning money. The chances of that inmate going back to prison escalate exponentially.

What Prevents Former Inmates From Getting Jobs?

February 10, 2023

Chicago Man, Dozens of Others Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

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

Dozens of people are facing charges after federal authorities conducted a sweep of the messaging app Telegram. Such messaging apps are becoming popular for sharing criminal material, according to authorities, especially child pornography. The initiative was called “Operation Swipe Left.”

As a result, more than two dozen people are facing charges for accessing the encrypted chatrooms where such material is shared. In this case, authorities found access to live-streamed sex abuse materials. In one case, authorities raided a home to find the man playing a video depicting an infant being abused. Four children were rescued as abuse was occurring.

Determining Penalties for These Charges

February 8, 2023

Police Officer Resigns After Shooting Police Officer

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

A police officer has resigned amid criminal charges that set off a battle between two Indiana police departments, each with their own version of what happened. According to the now-resigned officer, he was checking on an abandoned vehicle when another vehicle approached him. Believing that this vehicle had nearly struck him intentionally, the officer opened fire on the car. Inside was an off-duty police officer headed home. The off-duty police officer insists he did nothing wrong.

The victim has called the officer who stopped him “a danger to society” and stated that “he doesn’t deserve to wear a badge.” The officer is a 13-year veteran of the force who was cuffed and taken into custody after the other officer shot up his personal vehicle.

Anyone Can Become the Victim of Police Violence

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.

January 27, 2023

Former Police Officer Charged With Possession of Child Pornography

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

A former Dixmoor police officer is being held on $1 million bail after being found in possession of dozens of images of child pornography. The officer faces three felony charges related to the possession of child pornography. Police found 35 images on his phone. In some cases, the girls pictured on the phone were described as “prepubescent.”

In some states, you can be charged for each image found in your possession. In Illinois, they will charge you for each depiction of a minor. In this case, three victims were found on the defendant’s phone. Hence, he is facing three felony charges related to the possession of child pornography. The same girl was found in several of the pictures. Police will track down the victim to determine if more criminal charges are justified. If the defendant created the pornography, then that is another crime the state can add to the ledger.

Police were tipped off when child pornography was found in the account of the defendant’s email. The tip was sent to the Center for Missing and Exploited Children, which forwarded the tip to law enforcement, which confronted the officer and seized three phones from his possession, all of which contained the files in the tip.

January 25, 2023

Will Alec Baldwin Be Convicted of Involuntary Manslaughter Charges?

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

The defense is characterizing the charges as baseless and without merit after New Mexico prosecutors charged Baldwin with manslaughter. Baldwin was the one who fired the loaded gun, but there is no one who believes he intentionally wanted to harm Halyna Hutchins. The question is one of negligence.

Under the law, simple negligence is not a crime. However, culpable negligence is a crime. As an example of a crime of culpable negligence, think reckless driving or DUI. In these cases, you may not be trying to hurt anyone, but you are placing others in a position where they can be hurt or even killed. In cases of DUI involving a death, you have culpable negligence that gives rise to homicide. So, did Baldwin contribute a DUI-like amount of culpable negligence to trigger a manslaughter investigation?

The Prosecution’s Argument

January 20, 2023

Chicago Public Schools Sex Crimes Unit Reports “Extraordinary High Case Volume”

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

Yes, the City of Chicago has a department that investigates every allegation of sexual abuse made against an employee of the city. Since its creation in 2018, it has handled over 1,700 complaints. This year, however, the unit fielded a record-high number of complaints, 470. The complaints ranged from the bizarre to the infuriating and have resulted in 16 cases being filed against school-affiliated employees.

The district cautioned parents about interpreting the data. They claim that Chicago Public Schools do not have a higher rate of sex crimes than other districts. They remain one of the few districts to keep accurate records of sex crimes and report those to the media. According to CPS, paying better attention results in better information, which may result in shocking statistics.

The district reminded parents that even though the volume is higher, in many cases, there would be no investigation regardless of the quality of the allegations.

January 18, 2023

Staffer Accused of Stealing $2M from Art Institute

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

A staffer has been accused of stealing nearly $2 million in payroll from other employees at the Art Institute, according to a federal indictment. The staffer is accused of diverting funds meant for other employees into his own bank account. The fraud went on for nearly 10 years before it was discovered when another staffer noted unusual account activity.

According to the Art Institute, they instituted an audit process to review their financials in 2019. That was when the perpetrator was caught. The employee was immediately terminated, and the matter was referred to law enforcement. The employee is now facing charges of wire fraud and bank fraud.

The Heypenny Scheme

January 13, 2023

Law Enforcement Ponders the Role of Deepfakes in CSAM

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

Child sex abuse material (CSAM) remains a major concern for law enforcement. Today, the penalties for possession, dissemination, and creation of CSAM are higher than ever before. Part of the role that law enforcement plays is identifying victims. Today, it is possible to generate the face of a random individual that looks real. Could producers of CSAM use this technology to produce illegal pornography? Absolutely.

But is it a crime?

What Remains Illegal?