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(Daily Signal)—A nasty divorce case has put a man behind bars for 18 months in Chicago’s Cook County Jail despite what he says is a clean criminal record.
Thanks to a law first proposed by Illinois’ black lawmakers after the George Floyd protests of 2020, thousands of dangerous inmates are being released onto the streets of Chicago and other cities, while those subject to civil complaints are jailed like criminals.
Such is the case of Illinois native Steve Fanady, 59, who has been rotting in a Cook County jail cell in solitary confinement for 18 months over an unresolved, 14-year-old divorce settlement.
“I’m terrified of dying in prison over a 14-year-old divorce case,” Fanady told the New York Post.
A provision of the state’s 2023 Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today Act, or SAFE-T, effectively eliminates cash bail, allowing inmates who aren’t deemed flight risks to be released pretrial. The provision applies to those charged with violent crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.
Take the recent example of Cook County’s liberal use of electronic monitoring for violent criminals. Bertell Johnson, a convicted felon awaiting trial for murder, was charged with additional felonies after investigators seized firearms from his residence, including an assault rifle and a handgun with an auto switch, along with ammunition and narcotics, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said in a Jan. 29 press release.
“Mr. Johnson was caught with multiple firearms, ammunition, and a drum magazine while on EM [electronic monitoring] for murder,” Dart said in the press release. “This was an unacceptable risk to the safety of the community, and perfectly illustrates why I have for years argued that individuals charged with violent crimes should not be placed on electronic monitoring.”
The provision doesn’t apply to Fanady, however, since he is in the Cook County Jail on a civil complaint, not a criminal one.
Chicago’s news media barely has reported on Fanady’s case, perhaps because he doesn’t fit into the Windy City’s protected class: violent criminals.
The Daily Signal spoke with Fanady via Zoom to bring attention to his story and shed light on the harsh consequences of woke measures such as the SAFE-T Act. Fanady said that he is being held in jail on a judge’s order until he can pay $10 million or transfer 120,000 shares of stock to his ex-wife.
He had agreed to give his ex-wife everything she demanded, and a judge allowed him to keep stocks he had in Swiss bank accounts, Fanady said. But, he said, he spent the next 10 years pursuing his business partners because she suspected them of hiding some of his assets.
In June 2022, a Cook County judge ordered Fanady to pay $10 million or transfer 120,000 shares of stock to his ex-wife, or face years in jail for indirect civil contempt.
“I never had anywhere close to $10 million,” Fanady told The New York Post. “The money I did have was spent on a decade of expensive divorce litigation and child support.”
The judge then wanted him to prove he doesn’t have the stock any longer, but he can’t, Fanady said, because the record retention deadline on the Swiss accounts passed and documents aren’t available.
The judge has yet to make another ruling, he said, making it almost impossible for him to get out of prison.
What’s happening to him doesn’t happen in the America he once believed in, Fanady told The Daily Signal. Now he sees violent criminals released on electronic monitoring shortly after getting arrested.
The Daily Signal asked Fanady’s attorney, Laura Grochocki, about her client’s situation.
“The Illinois Supreme Court’s mandate of no-cash bail for criminal defendants and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s release of thousands of defendants with violent criminal histories onto electronic monitoring, juxtaposed with his opposition to electronic monitoring for a noncriminal detainee like Steve Fanady, exposes a troubling incongruity in our legal system,” Grochocki said in a written statement to The Daily Signal.
“This discrepancy undermines trust in the system’s fairness and raises serious concerns about the protection of constitutional rights,” she said. “It’s imperative to address these disparities to ensure equal treatment and justice for all.”
In the Zoom interview with The Daily Signal, Fanady said he has been mistreated while in custody and is suing the sheriff for abuse.
Fanady said his cell is infested with rats and cockroaches. He said he hasn’t been able to shower or to get medical treatment for his physical and mental health. He sometimes isn’t allowed out of his cell at all, he said, even with other inmates during daylight.
Jail officials consider Fanady to be at high risk for suicide, especially after his parents—Greek immigrants who fled persecution in Turkey for a better life in America—both died while their only son was in jail.
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So, Cook County releases violent criminals with electronic monitoring, but won’t release Fanady. The double standard in Chicago could not be more obvious, and it’s ruining lives.
The results of woke policies like the SAFE-T Act are that everyday Americans are targeted while criminals, even violent ones, get a slap on the wrist.
Steve Fanady deserves better. The people of Chicago deserve better.
Mysterious “Skyquakes” Are Causing Strange “Booms” in the Sky, and Scientists Have No Explanation
by Michael Snyder
(End of the American Dream)—What is causing the extremely loud “booms” that people are hearing in the sky all over the world? We are being told that “skyquakes” are responsible, but scientists have no idea why these “skyquakes” are occurring. In some cases, the “skyquakes” cause such powerful shaking that…
The Biggest Sale on Long-Term Storage Beef EVER
by Sponsored Post
Let’s cut to the chase. Prepper All-Naturals is offering an unprecedented 40% off for it’s “Beef Steak” survival bags with promo code “steak40”. With a 25-year shelf life and a single ingredient (beef, of course), our most popular product is available for a very limited time with the biggest discount…
Seattle Is Ordered to Stop Blocking Illegal Alien Deportations in the Most Hilarious Court Decision Ever
by PJ Media
A federal court has just pooped in the oatmeal of the West Coast, Messed Coast™governors and local election officials suffering from acute cases of Trump Derangement Syndrome who think they can stop illegal alien deportations. And after this hilarious and thorough legal takedown from the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals,…
Illegal Alien Terror Suspect Found Dead in Cook County Jail Cell
by Slay News
An Islamic illegal alien has been found dead in his jail cell after being arrested on terrorism charges. According to CWBChicago, 22-year-old Sidi Mohamed Abdallahi was found dead at the Cook County jail in Illinois on Saturday. Abdallahi was arrested on felony terrorism and hate crime charges in October. He…
Trump’s Wild Bunch Is Ready for Action
by Frank Miele
If for no other reason than that it will elicit fear in the hearts of autocracy-phobics, I propose that Donald Trump’s second-term Cabinet be known as “The Wild Bunch.” The name is best known as the title of Sam Peckinpah’s classic 1969 western featuring a colorful cast of aging outlaws…
FAA Issues Flight Restrictions Over Questionable Drone Activity Near Trump’s Bedminster Golf Course
by Just The News
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Tuesday said that it has issued two flight restrictions on the area surrounding President-elect Donald Trump’s Bedminster golf club in New Jersey, following questionable drone activity. The drone sightings were first reported on Nov. 18, but have continued into this week, according to Fox…
Ex-FBI Agent Convicted for Stealing From Jan 6 Defendant During Raid
by Trending Politics
A former Houston-based FBI agent has been convicted of stealing valuables and cash while conducting searches. In one instance, the agent stole cash and silver bars from a non-violent January 6 defendant’s home. Nicholas Anthony Williams, 36, was indicted on January 31 in the Southern District of Texas. Williams, who…
Democrats, Media Elite Urge Biden to Pardon Trump’s Alleged ‘Enemies List’
by Breitbart
President Joe Biden should issue preemptive pardons to his political allies and those deemed to be on President-elect Donald Trump’s alleged “enemies list,” Democrats and their media allies believe. Delivering a preemptive pardon indicates an admission of guilt, although Democrats claim a preemptive pardon would only be intended to block…
Fani Willis Forced to Release All Communications With Jack Smith, J6 Committee
by Trending Politics
The Fulton County Superior Court has ruled against District Attorney Fani Willis, ordering her to disclose communications with Special Counsel Jack Smith and the House January 6 Committee. The decision, announced on Tuesday, follows a lawsuit brought by Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group, which accused Willis of violating Georgia’s…
Lindsey Graham Is the Warmongering NeoCon Leading the Charge to Upend Pete Hegseth
by JD Rucker
Pete Hegseth represents a shift away from the wokeness that has infected the United States military. This is possibly the biggest reason President-Elect Donald Trump tapped him to be the next Secretary of Defense and the vast majority of Republicans on Capitol Hill can support this, at least for the…
‘Where Are Black Democrats?’: Charles Payne Tells Personal Story to Call Out ‘Huge Double Standard’ of Biden Family
by Nicole Silverio, DCNF
(DCNF)—Fox Business host Charles Payne called out the alleged “huge double standard” of President Joe Biden’s family Tuesday by revealing that his brother, who struggles with a crack addiction, is currently serving a jail sentence. Payne said his brother, who is getting out of jail on Friday, is likely one…
Zelensky Admits Ukraine Can’t Retake All Its Land: ‘We Must Seek Diplomatic Means’
by Breitbart
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky conceded in an interview on Tuesday that Ukraine does not have “enough forces” to restore sovereignty over Russian-occupied Crimea and “must seek diplomatic means” to end the Russian invasion and regain its land. The state-run Ukrinform outlet reported that Zelensky described Crimea – which Russia colonized…
Ultra-Processed Foods: How Bad Are They for Your Health?
by Olivia Cook
(Natural News)—Despite the serious health risks associated with eating junk food, they remain the most consumed food products in many countries, particularly developed ones. But a review published in The BMJ, which studied 9.8 million people, warns that eating a lot of ultra-processed foods can increase your risk for 32 diseases. Among these are heart…
“Already Pretty Far Down the Line”: The Container Store Could File for Bankruptcy as Soon as Next Year
by Tyler Durden, Zero Hedge
(Zero Hedge)—As the retail apocalypse that started with Amazon and e-commerce continues, the latest victim is The Container Store. The retail giant could file for bankruptcy as soon as next year, according to the New York Post, who said the retailer is blaming its recent descent on “a weak housing…
Mysterious ‘Car-Sized Drones’ Over New Jersey Prompt FBI Investigation
by Zero Hedge
Several weeks of mysterious drone swarms over the skies of one New Jersey county near the military research and manufacturing facility Picatinny Arsenal have sparked concerns among residents and prompted an FBI investigation. “It’s kind of unsettling,” Mike Walsh, a Morris County resident who has spotted the drones on numerous…
UNESCO’s New Mission: Train Influencers About Combatting Online “Misinformation”
by Reclaim the Net
The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is now incorporating teaching influencers how to “fact check” into its activities. UNESCO claims that influencers have become “primary sources of news and cultural information” around the world – which prompted it to carry out a survey into how these online personalities…
