Two new suits target City, recently convicted Sgt. Xavier Elizondo and Officer David Salgado, as wider scope of scandal begins to unfold
CHICAGO – Irene Simmons, Micaela Cruz, and Ms. Cruz’s minor children sued disgraced Chicago Police Sgt. Xavier Elizondo, former Officer David Salgado, and other members of their tactical team for separate invasions of their homes in late 2017 and early 2018.
Both women allege that the officers used bogus search warrants to unlawfully enter their homes, ransack their apartments, plant drugs on them, and falsify charges. Ms. Cruz further alleges that the officers held her minor children at gunpoint.
Elizondo and Salgado were relieved of police powers in January 2018 as the allegations of their corruption began to surface. According to a Chicago Tribune report, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office subsequently dropped charges against at least 37 people whose cases were connected to the officers, including both Ms. Simmons and Ms. Cruz.
In October 2019, Sgt. Elizondo and Officer Salgado were convicted of a federal conspiracy and theft charges stemming from their use of bogus search warrants that essentially mirror the allegations made by Ms. Simmons, Ms. Cruz, and Ms. Cruz’s family members.
The lawsuits also name the City of Chicago as a defendant, alleging that a “code of silence” in the police department allowed the corrupt cops to frame innocent people and violate citizens’ constitutional rights with no interference by their fellow officers or command staff.
Ms. Simmons, Ms. Cruz and the minor children are represented by Jon Loevy, Scott Rauscher, Joshua Tepfer, Theresa “Tess” Kleinhaus and Sean Starr of the civil rights law firm Loevy & Loevy Attorneys at Law. Loevy & Loevy is one of the nation’s largest civil rights law firms and has won more multi-million-dollar jury verdicts than any other civil rights law firm in the country.
Ms. Simmons, Ms. Cruz, their families and their attorneys will speak to the press conference at 12:30 PM, Wednesday, January 22 at the office of Loevy & Loevy, 311 N. Aberdeen Street, 3rd floor, Chicago. Copies of their lawsuits can be found here and here.