CHICAGO — A former Chicago Police Officer has been indicted on a federal civil rights charge for the alleged kidnapping and aggravated sexual abuse an individual while on duty.
JAMES SAJDAK, 64, of Chicago, is charged with one count of deprivation of rights under color of law, according to an indictment unsealed today in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Sajdak is alleged to have kidnapped and sexually abused the victim in Chicago on March 5, 2019.
The charge in the indictment is punishable by a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Sajdak pleaded not guilty today during his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Susan E. Cox. A status hearing was scheduled for Oct. 12, 2022, at 9:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge John J. Tharp, Jr.
The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division; and Ashley T. Johnson, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexandra Morgan.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.