Politics
City Lawyers: Pay $250K to Wrongfully Convicted Man Arrested by Officers Repeatedly Accused of Misconduct
(Michael Izquierdo / WTTW News)
Chicago taxpayers should pay $250,000 to a man wrongfully convicted based on evidence developed by an officer repeatedly accused of misconduct, city lawyers recommended.
Michael Jones’ federal lawsuit accuses four Chicago police officers, including convicted former Officer David Salgado, of conspiring to frame him in March 2015 for selling drugs in Lawndale. Jones served approximately 17 months in prison, 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 on June 17.
Salgado was found guilty alongside former Sgt. Xavier Elizondo in 2019 on charges of conspiracy to commit theft, embezzlement, obstruction of justice and deprivation of civil rights.
Salgado and Elizondo lied to obtain search warrants in an effort to steal cash and narcotics from the homes they raided, a federal jury determined.
Salgado, who was also convicted of lying to the FBI, was sentenced to nearly six years in federal prison. He was fired in 2021, records show.
Chicago taxpayers paid more than $1 million to resolve 15 lawsuits that allege Salgado violated the rights of other Chicagoans between 2019 and 2024, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News. That is more than any other officer, according to the analysis.
Jones’ lawsuit also names Rocco Pruger, who frequently worked alongside Salgado and Elizondo before being promoted to detective in 2020.
Chicago taxpayers paid $588,500 between 2019 and 2024 to resolve seven lawsuits that allege Pruger violated the rights of Chicagoans, according to an analysis of city data by WTTW News.
Pruger, who did not respond to a request for comment from WTTW News, earns $140,454 annually, according to the city’s database.
Pruger has been a Chicago police officer since 2005 and has faced at least 35 misconduct complaints, according to a database published by the Office of the Inspector General.
In addition, Pruger has reported using force against a Chicagoan 36 times during his 21-year career, more than 98% of all officers, according to the Citizens Police Data Project.
Jones’ lawsuit accuses Salgado and Pruger of filing false police reports claiming they arrested him at 10 a.m. March 31, 2015, near Roosevelt Road and Springfield Avenue.
That could not have been true, according to the lawsuit, because Salgado and Pruger testified in a separate case that they arrested Elgin Jordan at 9:45 a.m. on the same day after finding heroin during a search, and immediately took him to be processed.
“The defendant officers’ stories about the arrests of Jordan and plaintiff cannot be reconciled,” according to Jones’ lawsuit.
Jones pleaded guilty to charges of drug possession and was sentenced to three years in prison, according to his lawsuit.
After serving his sentence, Jones learned that the officers who arrested him testified that they arrested Jordan at the same time on the same day and asked a judge to vacate his conviction. That request, which was not opposed by then Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, was granted in August 2022, according to his lawsuit.
Jones received a certificate of innocence in December 2022, according to his lawsuit.
Jordan was convicted and sentenced to eight years in prison and served nearly two and a half years before being paroled, records show. Jordan’s conviction was overturned in 2019, and he was granted a new trial. A few months later, the charges against Jordan were tossed out after Salgado and Elizondo were convicted.
Jordan sued the city of Chicago and settled for $100,000 in 2020. That means Jordan’s case never came before the Chicago City Council, which only reviews proposed settlements of more than $100,000, a key method of oversight.
Jordan was granted a certificate of innocence in December 2022, and won $109,682 in state compensation in August.
Jared Rutecki contributed to this report.
WTTW News coverage of policing and police reform is supported by The Joyce Foundation.
Contact Heather Cherone: @HeatherCherone | (773) 569-1863 | [email protected]
