Politics

City Council to Weigh Paying $2.1M to Resolve Another Lawsuit Tied to Convicted Ex-Sgt. Ronald Watts

Chicago taxpayers should pay $2.1 million to a man who claims in a lawsuit that he was framed three times by convicted former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his team, city lawyers recommended.

William Carter spent a total of four years in jail after pleading guilty in two cases and being convicted in a third case that he alleges were based on false evidence gathered by Watts, who was convicted in 2013 of taking bribes, and other officers.

Carter was granted a certificate of innocence in 2017 in all three cases, which date back to 2004 and 2006, records show.

The Chicago City Council’s Finance Committee is set to consider the proposed settlement on Monday. A final vote of the City Council could come Wednesday.

Between 2016 and September 2024, Chicago taxpayers paid more than $11.2 million to defend cases naming Watts, including more than $380,000 to defend Carter’s lawsuit, according to records obtained by WTTW News through the Freedom of Information Act.

Watts and the officers who reported to him were accused of demanding that residents and drug dealers pay them for protection. They arrested those who refused after planting drugs on them, according to court records.

In 2013, Watts was convicted of shaking down a drug courier who turned out to be an FBI informant. Watts spent nearly two years in prison.

Since 2017, 212 convictions tied to Watts have been overturned, according to the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.

Since the beginning of the year, the Chicago City Council has agreed to pay $8.7 million to resolve two lawsuits alleging misconduct by Watts and the officers he supervised, records show.

Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]

---