Brickbat: Home Sweet Chicago
Chicago taxpayers will pay at least $472.8 million to defend and settle lawsuits connected to former Chicago Police detective Reynaldo Guevara, who has been accused of falsifying police reports, framing suspects, and forcing witnesses to identify innocent people as criminals. The Chicago City Council unanimously approved a $260.8 million settlement for 17 men who spent a combined 383 years in prison after being wrongfully convicted in cases tied to Guevara's investigations. The settlement brings the total to 32 resolved cases, while another 25 lawsuits remain pending. The city has also paid $56.2 million to private attorneys to defend Guevara and other officers named in the cases. Many of the men who were wrongly convicted spent decades in prison, and judges have granted certificates of innocence to several people involved. Guevara retired in 2005 and still receives an annual police pension of $91,000. Despite repeated allegations of misconduct, he has not been criminally charged for his actions as an officer. The growing cost of these cases comes as Chicago faces a projected $882.5 million budget gap for 2027.