Former Chicago Cop Accused Of Kidnapping, Sexual Abuse While On The Job: Prosecutors

CHICAGO, IL — A former Chicago police officer is accused of kidnapping and sexually abusing someone while on the job, according to federal authorities.

James Sajdak, 64, of Chicago, pleaded not guilty Wednesday to deprivation of rights under color of law, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Sajdak was sued in 2019 by a woman who claimed he ordered her into his police vehicle and demanded that she perform a sexual act, according to court documents. The incident occurred March 5, 2019, which is the same day authorities said the events resulting in the recent charge against Sajdak took place.

The woman was at Fifth and Cicero avenues when Sajdak approached her in a marked SUV and told her she had to perform a sex act on him or she would go to jail, the lawsuit complaint said. The victim, who is transgender, entered the vehicle at Sajdak’s behest, and he drove to a secluded area, asked for her phone number, told her she “would become one of his regulars,” exposed himself, and demanded the sex act, which the woman performed out of fear, according to the complaint.

Sajdak left her in an alley and she went to a hospital, the complaint said, noting Sajdak was relieved of police duty soon afterward. The lawsuit was settled in 2020, according to court records.

Sajdak received at least 44 complaints during his time on the force, the lawsuit said, including one from 1997 alleging misconduct in connection with illegal drugs that resulted in a 30-day suspension.

The city settled with one woman in 2015 for $220,000 after an incident in 2011 in which Sajdak subjected her to a strip search to punish her boyfriend for challenging his authority, according to the complaint.

Sajdak was also accused of ordering a woman in 2016 to follow him to an empty parking lot at Roosevelt Road and Homan Avenue, and, when she arrived, masturbating in front of her between their parked cars, the complaint said. For nearly three years after that, he repeatedly followed the woman while she was driving, according to the complaint. A lawsuit regarding the incident was settled in late 2019, court records said.

Sajdak’s attorney, Timothy Grace, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he and his client “look forward to confronting the evidence.”

If convicted, Sajdak could be sentenced to life in prison, according to federal authorities, who said his next court date is set for Oct. 12.