Man files federal lawsuit claiming he was framed by indicted cops

SHARE Man files federal lawsuit claiming he was framed by indicted cops
police_e1525186310773.jpeg

Two legal scholars — one from Northwestern University and the other from the University of Chicago — found that “for the worst 5 percent [of officers], there was a clear relationship between allegations and litigation.” | Sun-Times file photo

A man who was charged with a list of felonies last year and detained for months at the Cook County Jail filed a federal lawsuit on Tuesday claiming he was framed by a pair of Chicago police officers who have been indicted for allegedly stealing cash and drugs from properties they raided.

On May 13, 2017, 28-year-old Victor Rosas was sitting in a parked vehicle in the 2300 block of West 18th Place when Sgt. Xavier Elizondo and Officer David Salgado ordered him to get out, according to the suit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court.

Elizondo, Salgado and other unnamed officers searched the car and took Rosas into custody, according to the suit. They told Rosas they would let him go if he agreed to become an informant, but he refused.

Federal charges were filed last month against Elizondo and Salgado, who were both assigned to an Area Central gang team in the Ogden District. Prosecutors have alleged that they submitted false affidavits to judges in order to obtain search warrants to steal cash and drugs, sharing some of the proceeds with informants who tipped them off to stash houses.

In his suit, Rosas claims the officers wrote bogus police reports and that Salgado lied to a grand jury to secure an indictment against Rosas.

Rosas was charged with aggravated unlawful use of a weapon by a felon, armed habitual criminal and possession of a firearm without a valid FOID card, court records show. He couldn’t afford to pay bond, so he was held at the jail for more than nine months, the suit says.

Cook County prosecutors dropped the charges against Rosas on Feb. 21.

The five-count suit accuses the officers of false arrest, unlawful detention and conspiracy, and it claims they violated Rosas’ Fourth Amendment rights. The suit also accuses the city of Chicago of failing to properly investigate claims of police misconduct. He is seeking an unspecified amount in damages.

Chicago police officials don’t comment on pending litigation. City officials did not immediately return messages seeking comment.

The Latest
Another federal judge in Chicago who also has dismissed gun cases based on the same Supreme Court ruling says the high court’s decision in what’s known as the Bruen case will “inevitably lead to more gun violence, more dead citizens and more devastated communities.”
Women make up just 10% of those in careers such as green infrastructure and clean and renewable energy, a leader from Openlands writes. Apprenticeships and other training opportunities are some of the ways to get more women into this growing job sector.
Chatterbox doesn’t seem aware that it’s courteous to ask questions, seek others’ opinions.
The way inflation is measured masks certain costs that add to the prices that consumers pay every day. Not surprisingly, higher costs mean lower consumer confidence, no matter what Americans are told about an improving economy.
With Easter around the corner, chocolate makers and food businesses are feeling the impact of soaring global cocoa prices and it’s also hitting consumers.