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"I DON'T KNOW WHAT I WOULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT HIM..."
"MY SON AND I ARE SO GRATEFUL FOR MR. FREIDBERG AND WHAT HE HAS DONE..."
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A 36-year-old youth pastor is accused of sexually assaulting and robbing women. The crimes are alleged to have occurred with the same modus operandi. The pastor would approach a woman, begin talking to her, and attempt to lure her to his car. If she refused, the pastor would rob the woman, and in at least two cases, he sexually assaulted them. 

Police say that the 36-year-old youth pastor targeted a 44-year-old woman in 2300 block of East 79th Street, a 58-year-old woman in the 400 block of West 113th Street, and a 45-year-old woman in the 10200 block of South Wentworth Avenue. He is further accused of sexual assault against a 47-year-old woman in 12300 block of South Emerald Avenue and a 34-year-old woman in 9300 block of South Lyon Avenue. All of the assaults occurred between June and July of 2023. 

One of the cases involved a homeless woman who accepted a ride from the defendant. Police allege that he sexually assaulted the woman at knifepoint before stealing her belongings. Police found the victim’s ID and credit cards inside of the suspect’s car. 

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.

The Department of Justice has announced charges against hundreds of individuals for COVID-19 relief fraud following an operation conducted by federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. Many of those facing charges have ties to organized crime, according to the DOJ. In one case, authorities allege that the pandemic relief aid was used to pay for a murder. 

The DOJ has announced charges against over 300 defendants in these cases who allegedly stole more than $830 million from the federal government by making fraudulent claims. In this article, a Chicago criminal defense attorney will discuss pandemic relief fraud, how it works, and prosecutors’ efforts to hold those who stole money accountable for their actions. 

Understanding COVID-19 Relief Fraud

Cook County prosecutors dropped charges against a man who was exonerated on an appeal for a crime he claimed he never committed. Throughout his time in prison, he maintained his innocence for a double murder that he says police pinned on him. He spent 34 years in prison on charges that he was involved in the shooting of two 14-year-old boys. 

Police believed that he was cruising the streets for rival gang members. When he could not find any, they claimed he shot the boys instead. The boys were running from a Cook County home back to their father’s house to meet their curfew. 

The defendant would be convicted on charges of first-degree murder and spend the next 12,000 days of his life locked up behind bars.

A Chicago man who pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography charges was sentenced to 15 years behind bars. Investigators from the Sheriff’s Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) arrested a 41-year-old man on charges of possessing child pornography in October of 2022. He had already been arrested and was on probation for possession of child pornography from a previous offense that occurred in 2017. The defendant was also convicted of aggravated sexual abuse of a minor in 2001 and was a registered sex offender.

Before his arrest, ICAC tipped off authorities concerning downloads the defendant had made of explicit materials involving children under the age of 13. The defendant pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography of a child under the age of 13. With a felony already on his record, the crime was charged as a class-1 felony. 

What Constitutes Child Pornography Under Illinois State Law?

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

The son of notorious drug trafficker El Chapo has been extradited to Chicago from Mexico on charges of drug trafficking. Ovidio Guzman Lopez was charged in April along with two dozen others who are suspected of being a part of the Sinaloa Cartel. According to the lawsuit, the Sinaloa Cartel used chemicals shipped from China to fuel to fentanyl crisis here in the U.S. The cartel is believed to be responsible for importing 80% of the drugs found on Chicago streets over the past three decades. 

Standoff Between Sinaloa and Mexican Police

U.S. authorities have wanted to extradite Guzman Lopez since 2019. He was captured by Mexican authorities in a small town outside the city of Culiacán. In 2019, Mexican authorities attempted to apprehend Guzman Lopez but the cartel fought back engaging in shootouts with Mexican authorities and military. The Mexican president ordered Guzman Lopez released to avoid further bloodshed. 

Illinois has officially become the first state in the country to eliminate cash bail. Proponents of the measure say that it punishes the poor unfairly. The Pretrial Fairness Act prevents judges from setting bail but gives them broader discretion to deny release to those accused of violent crimes. Those opposed to the measure included prosecutors and police officers who see it as being “soft on crime.”

The measure is seen as leveling the playing field for Black, Brown, and poor communities that can’t afford to pay their way out of jail even when they are not a risk to the community. A 2022 civil rights report on cash bail showed that, on average, Black arrestees are required to pay 35% more than their white counterparts. Latinos on average pay 19% more. Hence, the system was intrinsically racist and remains so in states that have not eliminated cash bail. An estimated 60% of defendants ended up in jail because they could not afford to post bail. 

Critics of the measure believe that this will allow dangerous people back on the streets. Law enforcement and other critics of the measure believe that now that cash bail has ended, defendants have no incentive to return to court. This will end up creating a situation where they are searching for defendants who are let out of jail.

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

Former porn star Ron Jeremy has been declared mentally incompetent to stand trial by the judge presiding over his case. He faced dozens of rape charges but was only recently in the news after victims came out to share their stories. A judge declared that he was in “incurable neurocognitive decline,” and his condition was unlikely to improve. Prosecutors have asked that Jeremy be routinely reevaluated in case his condition improves. A hearing deciding Jeremy’s fate will be held later. He is likely to end up in a state hospital.

Jeremy pleaded not guilty after a grand jury indicted him on 34 counts of sexual assault. 12 of those counts included allegations of forcible rape. His defense attorney stated that he believed Jeremy would be found innocent of the charges. He expressed regret that Jeremy would not have the chance to defend himself in a court of law. 

The law requires those who are facing charges to understand the charges filed against them and be able to participate in their own defense. The court ruled that Jeremy did not understand the charges against him due to his health and could not participate in his own defense. This is different than an insanity plea. Below, we’ll discuss the case in more detail.

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