Ex-Chicago Cop Gets 4 1/2 Years in Torture Case

[Pink.]

Former Chicago police officer Jon Burge, convicted of lying about the torture of suspects, walks to his attorneys' office following the first day of his sentencing hearing at the federal building in Chicago Jan. 20, 2011.
Jan. 21, 2011
A former Chicago police officer whose name has become synonymous with police brutality in the city was sentenced Friday to 4 1/2 years in federal prison for lying about the torture of suspects.

Dozens of suspects - almost all of them black men - have claimed for decades that Jon Burge and his officers tortured them into confessing to crimes ranging from armed robbery to murder.

Burge was charged with lying about the alleged torture when he testified in a civil lawsuit brought by former inmate Madison Hobley, who was sentenced to death for a 1987 fire that killed seven people, including his wife and son. Hobley was later pardoned.

Hobley claimed detectives put a plastic typewriter cover over his head to make it impossible for him to breathe. Burge denied knowing anything about the "bagging" or taking part in it. The indictment against Burge never said Hobley was tortured but accused Burge of lying about participating in or knowing about torture that took place under his watch.

At Burge's trial last year, prosecutors presented testimony from five men - Anthony Holmes, Melvin Jones, Andrew Wilson, Gregory Banks and Shadeed Mu'min - who claimed Burge or his men put plastic bags over their heads until they passed out, stuck guns in their mouths or shocked them with electric currents.

"I still have nightmares," Holmes told Judge Joan Lefkow on Thursday, the first day of the sentencing hearing. "I wake up in a cold sweat."

A former black police officer who never met Burge also testified for the prosecution, telling Lefkow the allegations of abuse hurt the police department's relationship with the black community.

"This case puts the entire justice system on trial," Howard Saffold said. "This is a cancer. You can't put a cancer on probation. You have to treat it. . . . You've got to restore some confidence here."

The defense responded by arguing that a lengthy sentence would be "tantamount to life imprisonment" for the 63-year-old Burge, who has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and a host of other health problems. Burge's lawyers also asked the judge to take Burge's military service and decades of fighting crime into account.

The Chicago police fired Burge in 1993 after he was accused of mistreating Wilson, but Burge was never criminally charged in that case or any other, leading to widespread outrage in Chicago's black neighborhoods. The anger intensified when Burge moved to Florida while the men who said they were tortured remained in prison.

[Steve]

Thats a very light sentence for what he did, or what he was accused of doing, you do the crime...you do the time regardless of age or health, just think about how long he would have got if he was a young black officer, racism is alive and kicking.....he wouldn't have got 4 and 1/2 years thats for sure.
I am not surprised the black community was up in arms about it, pretty much any conviction that was attained by evidence from that corrupt dirt bag should now be looked at again.

[Pink.]

I am sure ti will be.

racism goes both ways (or should I say in multiple directions....white black, arab, latino, native, continental africans(hate american blacks and vice versa), asians hate everybody.....etc)

He was given a light sentence not for committing the crimes, but for LYING ABOUT THEM....That is my take on it......just a slap on the wrist.

[AmericanIllusions]

I hope this fat piece of shit dies in prison. He'll be placed in add-seg for his own safety and that in it self is torture. This guy should of got 20 years for this simply because it went on for so long and because they because he's an example of the law, an officer. How many lives did he ruin???

[Pink.]

Originally Posted by AmericanIllusions

I hope this fat piece of shit dies in prison. He'll be placed in add-seg for his own safety and that in it self is torture. This guy should of got 20 years for this simply because it went on for so long and because they because he's an example of the law, an officer. How many lives did he ruin???

You know, the reality of it all is that, although they are NOT vocal about it, MANY cops...both new, and old-line good-old-boy cops are disappointed that he got ANY kind of a sentence.

Many are saying under their breath...in their minds."they/he/she must've been guilty of SOMETHING, and WHO CARES what happens to that kind of people....etc,......so-forth and so-on"

the laws and outward appearances may change, but the overall mindset, in many cases, does not.

[bdjackass318]

yep this doesn't surprise me at all chicago has the most corrupt police force in america. if you go there don't get arrested.

[bdjackass318]

justice system in america needs some fixin.

[The Last Nephilim]

Here is an idea. In addition to the light sentence he got, deny him any medical care for his illnesses. That should help make up for a bit.

What does his work in law enforcement and the military have anything to do with? He should be tried under more stringent and severe conditions specifically because of those. He was supposed to be protecting the people and help serve justice, not pollute it with torture and lies.

[bdjackass318]

Originally Posted by The Last Nephilim

Here is an idea. In addition to the light sentence he got, deny him any medical care for his illnesses. That should help make up for a bit.

What does his work in law enforcement and the military have anything to do with? He should be tried under more stringent and severe conditions specifically because of those. He was supposed to be protecting the people and help serve justice, not pollute it with torture and lies.

i agree with you but the judge is probably just as corrupt as that cop. chicago in general is just a corrupt city.

[SnowBun]

Yeah well Chicago is a major african american town, with blacks running almost every arena there in politics, etc., so watch your mouth, if you are talking about corruption, it's mostly in the AA community.