Tony D. Debois, Rape and Lying to FBI, Illinois 2024

CHICAGO — A former deputy police chief in south suburban Markham was sentenced to the maximum of five years in federal prison after a judge ruled that he sexually assaulted a woman in police custody in 2010.

Tony D. Debois, 42, of Frankfort, pleaded guilty last September to lying to FBI agents in 2012 about having had sex in his office, but he contended at a lengthy sentencing hearing last month that the woman he had sex with was not the victim, and the sex was consensual.

“It is a case about lying about a rape that occurred under the most egregious circumstances that law enforcement could imagine,” Assistant U.S. Attorney April Perry argued today before the sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Joan Lefkow.

“The seriousness should not be underestimated,” Judge Lefkow said, adding that she found Debois’ conduct “revolting.”

Debois was also placed on supervised release for three years following his sentence, which he was ordered to begin serving on June 10.

The government established that Debois raped the 21-year-old highly vulnerable victim by a “considerable” preponderance of the evidence presented at the hearing last month, including the victim’s testimony, which the judge said was corroborated by other factors.

According to Judge Lefkow’s ruling, the victim was handcuffed, taken to the Markham Police Department, and placed in a holding cell for about 30 minutes. One of the arresting officers then took her to Debois’ tactical office, where, according to Judge Lefkow’s ruling, “he insinuated she could escape further trouble if she engaged in sex with him.”

The judge found that Debois’ conduct was rape and that he later obstructed justice to avoid punishment for the sexual assault.

Debois served as deputy chief in Markham between 2008 and 2011 and also served as the department’s head of internal affairs until 2011, when he became Markham’s inspector general until 2012.

The sentence was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

They thanked the Illinois State Police and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office for their extensive cooperation in the investigation.

The government was represented by Ms. Perry and Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Pope.

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