Cook County has approved a $24.8 million settlement to eight innocent men framed by retired Chicago Police Detective Reynaldo Guevara. Federal lawsuits brought by the eight exonerated men named the County and several Cook County prosecutors as defendants, along with the City of Chicago, Guevara, and other Chicago Police Department employees involved in the conspiracies. The agreement resolves the County’s role in the lawsuits, awarding each of the eight men $3.1 million in damages, for a total of $24.8 million. The plaintiffs in the lawsuits are Eruby Abrego, Robert Bouto, David Gecht, Alfredo Gonzalez, Jr., Thomas Kelly, Richard Kwil, John Martinez, and Daniel Rodriguez. All were framed by Guevara and his associates between 1990 and 1999, and were convicted based on fabricated evidence and coerced confessions.

Between them, the eight men spent over 190 years imprisoned for crimes they did not commit. While the details of each of the eight men’s horrific stories are different, they were all innocent and were subjected to hours of torturous interrogation, in which they were physically beaten and psychologically brutalized. Most were subjected to threats and insults, denied access to lawyers and loved ones, and deprived of basic needs including food, water, and sleep. The eight men are among 46 people who have had their convictions thrown out by the courts after being wrongfully convicted through the actions of Guevara and the other defendants. Guevara does not deny his misconduct, asserting his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination when questioned under oath in all eight plaintiffs’ cases, and many others.