Chicago Criminal Lawyer Blog

December 16, 2022

Man Indicted on Hate Crime Charges for Threats Made at Jewish High School

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

A poorly-adjusted Chicago man approached a Jewish high school and began making threats against students and a rabbi who performed security at the school. The man made several Holocaust-related provocations at students and faculty and, at one point, began goosestepping and doing a Nazi march. When police arrived at the scene, the defendant was still doing the Nazi march. He was then taken into custody.

He has since been charged with a hate crime and is being held on a $100,000 bond. He must post $10,000 before he can be released from custody. If he fails to post the $10,000, he will remain in jail until his case is decided.

Analyzing the Defense

December 14, 2022

Mother Faces Charges of Cyberbullying Teens and Daughter

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

In a bad mood? Want to turn it around with a little cyberbullying? Think again. A Michigan woman is facing charges related to cyberbullying teenage students, including her own daughter, according to authorities. The woman is facing five counts, including, most importantly, stalking a minor.

The woman’s own daughter and her boyfriend reported getting harassing messages to authorities which spurred forth the investigation, which lasted a year. Ultimately, the culprit turned out to be the girl’s own mother.

The mother used VPNs and other methods to hide her identity. At one point, she attempted to obscure her IP address in a manner that would lay the blame on classmates of her daughter. The woman was also working as a basketball coach at the time. Law enforcement says that the VPN exposed the defendant’s IP address for a fraction of a second before connecting. Indeed, you must connect your VPN prior to going onto the internet. If you do it after connecting, you will expose your actual IP while the VPN is unconnected or if it goes out. VPNs are not foolproof. A network interruption could expose your IP. Alternatively, not all VPNs are created equally. In this case, the woman’s IP was exposed.

December 9, 2022

Benefits Coordinator at CTA Accused of Looting Pensions Using Dead Pensioners

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

A benefits specialist for the CTA is facing federal fraud and embezzlement charges related to the withdrawal of $350,000 worth of pension benefits related to deceased employees. She has since been charged with five counts of wire fraud. Each count carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison, but usually, the sentence is tied to the amount of money stolen and not the number of times the fraud was committed.

According to the prosecution, the defendant made requests to disburse death benefits and pension benefits to purported beneficiaries of CTA pension plans. The funds, however, were later diverted into bank accounts controlled by the defendant. The money was then used for personal expenditures.

Authorities say that the defendant made 43 death benefit or pension refund requests totaling an estimated $350,000. The defendant worked as a bus driver and later as a retirement plan specialist.

December 7, 2022

Organized Retail Crime Task Force Announces Recovery of Stolen Items

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

Since retail theft crimes have become a major problem across the U.S., the Chicago police department has initiated a sprawling effort to reduce the overall number of retail thefts and ensure the prosecution of those who are caught. An Illinois man has since been charged with eight counts of non-probational felony theft and four counts of probational felony theft.

Theft crimes have become a political battlefield, and today, it is common to find different jurisdictions throughout Illinois enforcing different rules pertaining to local ordinances. It was assumed that the rules were overly harsh and antiquated. A defendant could face felony charges for the theft of $150 in merchandise. Today, the threshold is much higher, but the pressure on law enforcement has increased as retail theft crimes become more commonplace and organized. Today, the only way to get a felony by stealing $150 in merchandise is if you steal gasoline from a fuel pump.

Analyzing the New Initiative

December 2, 2022

Feds Ask for Five Years in Straw Purchase Case of Gun Used to Murder Cop

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

Federal prosecutors are asking the court to impose a five-year sentence on the straw purchaser who purchased the weapon that killed Chicago police officer Ella French. The defendant has already pleaded guilty to a federal weapons charge for unlawfully purchasing the weapon and then distributing it to an unauthorized buyer.

The recommended sentence for unlawfully purchasing a weapon is two years. However, federal prosecutors noted that the weapon was used to kill a peace officer. The stakes of the case, therefore, fall well outside the standard set of facts typical of a straw buyer prosecution. In other words, the conduct is worse than you would see in a standard straw purchaser case. The government, therefore, wants the court to impose a longer sentence than the two-year recommended sentence. The defendant could be sentenced up to the statutory maximum for the crime.

Straw Purchasing Crimes

November 30, 2022

Chicago Man Charged With Attacking Cops in January 6th Riot

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

A Chicago man is facing criminal charges for his role in the January 6th protest-turned-riot on Capitol Hill. He is facing federal charges, including assaulting a federal law enforcement officer, destruction of government property, and civil disorder.

Thus far, over 950 have faced charges related to January 6th. Arrestees hail from all 50 states. This individual earned the online handle “RailMixer” after he used a broken piece of metal railing to ram the doors of the Capitol.

The defendant can be seen on video swinging a metal railing or bicycle rack to bring down the doors of the Capitol. He is also seen swinging his arms at police officers. The man won some acclaim from the internet for his conduct that day, and his image was circulated along with the tag “railmixer.” Eventually, these images made their way to the FBI website, where they were requesting information on the January 6th rioters. The FBI began interviewing associates of the eventual defendant, and through an attorney, the defendant reached out to the FBI.

November 25, 2022

Chicago Man Sentenced for Revenge Porn

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

The Nonconsensual Pornography Act is a D.C. statute drafted in 2014 to address the problem of revenge porn. Recently, a 25-year-old Chicago man was charged under the statute after he posted several images of women without their consent. Several states have moved to criminalize revenge porn. Now, the 25-year-old Chicago man will spend the next five years in prison for unlawfully distributing sexual images of women without their consent. He was further accused of stalking witnesses who were to provide testimony against him.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of unlawful publication, two counts of stalking, and a felony count of making threats against a witness.

Does Illinois Have a Revenge Porn Law?

November 23, 2022

Defendant Goes to Prison for Stalking R. Kelly Victim

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

A defendant has been sentenced to 20 months in federal prison after his role in stalking and harassing an R. Kelly victim and her mother. The man described himself as a manager and advisor for the beleaguered pop star and threatened the mother and her daughter after they filed a civil lawsuit against Kelly. The harassment appeared to be a means of keeping the victim silent on the matter and preventing the lawsuit from moving forward.

According to investigators, the defendant threatened to publicly release sexual photographs of the victim if she did not withdraw her lawsuit. The defendant allegedly sent the photos to the victim’s lawyer and the victim herself, stating that he “would seek criminal charges.” It is unclear what criminal charges he would seek or what criminal charges were available for him. He is now convicted of stalking.

The defendant is also accused of setting up a Facebook page called “Surviving Lies,” a play on the documentary “Surviving R. Kelly,” which was broadcast by Netflix and discussed the lives of the survivors. During a podcast interview, the defendant displayed sexually explicit images of the victim on screen.

November 18, 2022

Violent Crime Reductions by Decade

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

Since the late 80s, the United States has shown significant reductions in violent crimes and murders. The numbers continued to decline even as the U.S. population gained 100 million new members.

In 1960, the violent crime rate was about 160 incidents per 100,0000 people. By the end of the ‘60s, the number would more than double to 328 incidents per 100,0000 people. By the end of the ‘80s, there were almost 700 incidents per 100,000 people. The number peaked in 1991 when the U.S. reported over 750 violent crimes per 100,000 people.

But after 1991, the number started going down. In 1992, it decreased by only one percentage point, but by the end of the decade, the number had dropped to 523 violent crimes per 100,000 people. By 2009, we were below 500, at 431. In 2014, we hit a 40-year low at 372 violent crimes per 100,000 people. In 2019, we were at 379.

November 16, 2022

Pretrial Fairness Act

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

It is no secret that criminal justice reform feels like a slap in the face to police officers. It stands to reason, then, that some police departments would refuse to implement provisions passed in 2021.

In 2021, Illinois passed the Pretrial Fairness Act, which extended privileges to those awaiting trial and under electronic monitoring. Among other things, it allowed individuals to leave their houses for essential business. During certain periods of certain days, they were allowed to leave the house to run errands.

However, Cook County has been denying essential days to those who also work. The measure was implemented unilaterally by the Cook County sheriff, and many believe that it is a violation of the law, if not the letter of the law, then at least the spirit of the law. But perhaps that is the point.