Yesterday I wrote about Michael Ciancio, the ex-Chicago cop who plead guilty to extortion in a sting over cops shaking down tow truck companies to provide them work at accident scenes. Today, we have another ex-Chicago cop pleading guilty in Federal court over another crime: beating a 60-year old man in a wheelchair.
The Federal charge was a civil rights violation, brought against 51 year old ex-Chicago cop William Cozzi. Cozzi has been with the force since 1992, serving in the 25th District. The Chicago Sun Times broke the story further initially when they obtained a video of the police officer beating the victim, Randle Miles, who was handcuffed to a wheelchair.
Authorities state that Randle Miles, a stabbing victim, was brought to Norwegian American Hospital in Humboldt Park on August 2, 2005. They also have stated that Miles was drunk and uncooperative with the hospital staff, leading to the police call to have Miles restrained. Officer Cozzi arrived at the scene, and handcuffed Miles to the wheelchair. Miles became beligerent with Cozzi, who then hit Miles 10 times to the face and torso with his police bludgeon, also known as a “sap.” The video tape clearly shows Miles not resisting, but he was charged by police for resisting arrest.
On August 2, Miles was stabbed by a young woman. His friends and family pleaded with him to go to a hospital for treatment, but instead he “downed a bottle of gin,” according to his lawyer, Timothy Whiting. His abusive behavior towards hospital staff was attributed to his drunkenness.
Cozzi was originally charged, plead guilty to and convicted in 2007 under a State statute of misdemeanor battery and was sentenced to 18 months probation. While on leave from the Chicago Police Department, the Sun Times discovered the video tape of the incident, and reported it to the Chicago Police Department. Superintendent Jody Weis then referred the case to the FBI, who pursued the civil rights charges against Cozzi in April of 2008.
Cozzi is still on suspension from the Chicago Police Department. In Federal court on Thursday, January 22, 2009, under U.S. District Judge Blanche M. Manning, Cozzi plead guilty to the civil rights charges. Cozzi told the judge, “I made a mistake. I should not have hit him because he was handcuffed and secured.” Cozzi is being defended by attorney Terence Gillespie, who stated that his client is looking forward to giving a more detailed explanation of the actions he committed, and that Cozzi is “very nervous and scared.” Cozzi is set to be sentenced on March 26, 2009, and his plea agreement should bring him 6-8 years in jail, with a maximum sentence of 10 years for the crime committed, with a maximum fine of $250,000. “I lost it,” Officer William Cozzi admitted in federal court.
Cozzi also admitted to the court that he prepared a false arrest report and misdemeanor complaints stating that Miles tried to punch him and two hospital security guards. He also filed a false tactical response report stating that he used an “open hand strike” on the victim but omitted that he struck the victim with a sap.
The Fraternal Order of Police has criticized Superintendent Weis for pushing the case to the FBI under the defense of “Double Jeopardy,” where a person can not be charged twice for the same crime. In this case, the charges seem justified as the State charge was for battery, and the Federal charge was for a civil rights violation. Acting Assistant Attorney General for the Civil Rights Division Loretta King, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois Patrick Fitzgerald and Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office made the announcement of the plea agreement today. ”The defendant violated the public trust by abusing his law enforcement authority,” said King. “This prosecution demonstrates that the Civil Rights Division is committed to aggressively prosecuting law enforcement officers who willfully use excessive force.”
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