Innocent Victims FRAMED — City Pays BIG TIME!

Legal document titled Lawsuit with pen and book.

Chicago taxpayers will fork over $90 million to victims of one corrupt police sergeant who systematically framed hundreds of innocent people for drug crimes they never committed—making this the largest mass exoneration scandal in the city’s history.

Story Highlights

Former Sergeant Ronald Watts and his team framed over 200 residents of Chicago’s Ida B. Wells housing project for fabricated drug crimes
Chicago City Council approved a historic $90 million settlement to resolve lawsuits from victims who were wrongfully convicted and imprisoned
Taxpayers have already spent over $11.2 million just defending the city in these corruption cases before the settlement
The scandal represents the largest mass exoneration in Chicago’s history, with victims losing years of their lives behind bars

A Badge Becomes a License to Frame

Ronald Watts transformed his Chicago Police Department tactical team into a criminal enterprise that would make mob bosses proud. Operating primarily in the Ida B. Wells housing project on the South Side, Watts and his officers extorted residents and drug dealers alike, demanding bribes for protection. Those who refused to pay faced a terrifying consequence: planted drugs and fabricated charges that sent innocent people to prison for years.

The scope of Watts’ corruption scheme defied belief. For over a decade beginning in the early 2000s, his team operated with virtually no oversight, wielding unchecked power over one of Chicago’s most vulnerable communities. The systematic nature of the abuse wasn’t random criminal behavior by rogue cops—it was an organized criminal operation hiding behind police badges.

When the FBI Finally Caught the Crooked Cop

Watts’ reign of terror finally ended in 2013 when federal investigators caught him shaking down an FBI informant. The irony was perfect: a corrupt cop brought down by the very federal agency tasked with fighting corruption. Watts served nearly two years in prison—a laughably light sentence considering the hundreds of lives he destroyed through his fabricated cases.

Ben Baker’s story illustrates the human cost of Watts’ crimes. Convicted in 2006 on planted evidence, Baker spent a decade behind bars for crimes he didn’t commit. Released in 2016 after Watts’ corruption came to light, Baker joined over 200 other victims whose convictions were ultimately overturned. These weren’t career criminals getting lucky breaks—these were ordinary people whose only crime was living in the wrong neighborhood when a corrupt cop needed to meet his arrest quotas.

The Bill Comes Due for Chicago Taxpayers

The September 2025 City Council vote approving the $90 million settlement represents one of the largest police misconduct payouts in American history. But the financial damage extends far beyond this headline figure. Chicago taxpayers have already spent over $11.2 million just defending the city in these corruption cases, with 193 lawsuits still pending as of early 2025.

This massive payout raises uncomfortable questions about accountability and prevention. While the victims deserve every penny of compensation for their stolen years and destroyed reputations, Chicago residents must wonder how such systematic corruption operated undetected for over a decade. The settlement addresses the symptoms of a diseased system but does little to cure the underlying rot that allowed Watts and his team to operate with impunity.

Justice Delayed and Democracy Betrayed

The Watts scandal represents more than individual corruption—it exposes institutional failures that strike at the heart of our justice system. When police officers frame innocent people, they don’t just destroy individual lives; they undermine the foundational principle that separates America from authoritarian regimes: the presumption of innocence and the rule of law.

The disproportionate impact on residents of public housing reveals how corruption flourishes when it targets the powerless. Watts knew his victims lacked the resources and credibility to fight back effectively. This calculated targeting of vulnerable communities represents the worst kind of predatory behavior, made exponentially worse by the authority of the badge. The $90 million settlement serves as a stark reminder that when we fail to hold law enforcement accountable, the entire community pays the price.