Federal prosecutors pushed back against a witness Monday, challenging his statement that U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald intimidated him before grand jury testimony regarding an incident he saw between a suspect and Jon Burge in the 1980′s.
Former Chicago Police Sgt. Michael McDermott testified Monday that before entering a grand jury proceeding in 2008, Fitzgerald told him that if he thought McDermott was holding back information, he would charge him with obstruction of justice and perjury.
McDermott said that Fitzgerald was threatening his family, since a conviction on such charges would have caused him to lose his police pension and city health insurance.
“I would do anything for my family,” McDermott testified.
Assistant U.S. Attorney April Perry asked McDermott to explain that Fitzgerald did not use foul language or physically threaten him, and that McDermott knew he had to tell the truth under oath.
McDermott challenged prosecutors during testimony today, asking why it took so long to bring a case against Burge.
“This was all public record decades ago,” McDermott said. “I don’t know why you waited 20 years.”
Burge faces charges of perjury and obstruction of justice. The statute of limitations ran out on any assault charges relating to allegations of police torture of suspects in the 1970′s and ’80′s.
McDermott admitted during testimony that he lied to the police department’s Office of Professional Standards during an investigation. He also admitted he once struck a homicide suspect to get him to sit down.
McDermott defended Burge at points in his testimony, saying that he respected Burge as a lieutenant who pushed detectives to work harder.
“They are city workers,” McDermott said. “There are a lot of lazy workers.”
The prosecution plans to wrap up tomorrow, calling a final man who said he was tortured, Shadeed Mu’min, as well as a firearms expert, and a librarian who is an expert on plastic bags, which Burge and other officers allegedly used as implements of torture.