A federal judge Friday handed a one-year prison sentence to a retired Chicago police sergeant for a brazen on-duty sexual assault in 2019 — and then made clear the sentence would have been even higher if the law allowed.
James Sajdak, 65, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor last year, meaning U.S. District Judge John Tharp handed down the harshest possible sentence during Sajdak’s sentencing hearing Friday. Sajdak originally faced a charge that carried a maximum life sentence. But Tharp made clear he didn’t fault prosecutors for deciding to resolve the case with a lesser charge.
If he had the option, though, Tharp said “the sentence would be higher still.”
The judge said that “all police officers need to be reminded of their oath, and the sanctity of that oath.”
“This isn’t what it means to be a Chicago police officer,” Tharp said of Sajdak’s crime. “We don’t abuse the trust. We protect it. We cherish it. And we earn it every day. That’s the message that has to be sent to new police officers and to veteran police officers.”
He added, “The flip side of that message is, we won’t tolerate it if you abuse that trust.”
Sajdak admitted to the sexual assault last November, pleading guilty to willful deprivation of civil rights. He became a Chicago police officer in 1989 and received nearly 150 awards, including the Superintendent’s Award of Valor, according to his defense attorneys.
Sajdak was on duty March 5, 2019, driving a marked squad car and wearing his uniform near Fifth and Kolmar avenues when he approached his victim, activated his sirens and insisted that she get into the squad car.
He told her, “You can get in the front or you can get in the back.”
The area had a high rate of prostitution, and the victim had a long criminal history, according to Sajdak’s defense attorneys. Prosecutors say he took advantage of her status as a sex worker because she “would have difficulty reporting [Sajdak’s] criminal activity.”
Once the victim was in the car, Sajdak drove to an abandoned, secluded lot. He locked the car doors, closed his laptop and turned off his police radio. That’s when the sexual assault began.
Prosecutors say Sajdak dropped the victim off where he’d first encountered her. She immediately told others what happened, went to a hospital and provided a sample of semen that eventually proved to be a match for Sajdak’s DNA, records show.
The victim did not remain at the hospital to complete her treatment, according to prosecutors. She later filed a lawsuit that settled with Sajdak paying $50,000 in damages, his defense attorneys said.
Sajdak visibly struggled through Friday’s sentencing hearing. He fidgeted and bounced his knees while he stood before the judge and listened to the proceedings. Members of his family then looked on as Sajdak fought through his emotions and asked the judge to “show me a degree of mercy.”
He explained that he had always tried to look out for people like his victim. But in doing so, he realized it “made me unjustly think I was something more.”
Defense attorney Timothy Grace told the judge that Sajdak is now a “laughing stock” at the Chicago Police Department as a result of his “10 minutes of selfishness” which “cost him everything.”
Grace later told reporters, “No one wants to be judged by 10 minutes of their life. You know? Ten minutes of a very bad decision.”
Near the end of Friday’s hearing, Tharp said that “if sentencing was only about whether the defendant has learned his lesson, this would not be the appropriate sentence.” But he said it’s ultimately about “promoting respect for the law.”
The judge acknowledged that Sajdak “made a mistake.”
“But it was a doozy,” Tharp said. “It was an abuse of trust, and it was a serious crime for which there must be serious consequences.”
