Jon Burge, Perjury & Obstruction, Illinois 2003
A former Chicago Police Commander has been convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the torture of suspects in police custody decades ago.
A federal jury in Chicago convicted Jon Burge, 60, of Apollo Beach, Fla., on charges of obstruction of justice and perjury. The jury found that Burge lied and impeded court proceedings in November 2003 when he provided false statements in a civil lawsuit that alleged that he and others tortured and abused people in their custody.
During the trial, several victims testified that they had been tortured by Burge and other officers who worked for him in area two of the CPD. Various witnesses testified that the officers administered electric shocks to their genitals, suffocated them with typewriter covers, threatened them with loaded guns and burned them on radiators.
The jury found that Burge had lied under oath when he claimed that he did not participate in any of these acts of torture, and that he was unaware of any other officers having done so.
Burge faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on each count of obstruction of justice and five years in prison for perjury.
Assistant Attorney General Thomas E. Perez said, 'For decades, Jon Burge’s horrific actions ran contrary to all that our justice systemstands for. Burge betrayed the public trust, first by abusing suspects in his custody, and then by lying under oath to cover up what he and other officers had done.'
U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald added, 'At long last, a measure of justice was delivered today when a jury returned a verdict of guilty against Jon Burge on obstruction of justice and perjury.'
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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