Oscar Soto's life was irrevocably altered by a series of events involving alleged misconduct by members of the Chicago Police Department. On December 6, 2024, Oscar Soto filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois against former Detective Reynaldo Guevara and several other officers, as well as the City of Chicago. The lawsuit details how Soto was wrongfully implicated in two separate shootings in 1997, leading to his wrongful imprisonment.
According to the complaint, on July 5, 1997, Oscar Arroyo was shot but survived, and just twelve days later, Miguel Salas was killed in a drive-by shooting. Despite no physical evidence linking him to either crime, Soto was arrested and prosecuted based on what he claims were fabricated witness statements and manipulated identification procedures orchestrated by Guevara and his colleagues. "Not one piece of physical evidence ever connected Mr. Soto to either of the shootings," states the complaint. Soto was acquitted of Salas's murder after spending nearly two years in pretrial detention but faced further incarceration for Arroyo's attempted murder due to coerced plea agreements stemming from police misconduct.
Soto's ordeal is part of a broader pattern involving Guevara and other officers accused of framing innocent individuals through coercion and fabrication. The Illinois Appellate Court has labeled Guevara "a malignant blight on the Chicago Police Department." The complaint alleges that at least 46 people have been exonerated after being wrongfully convicted due to similar corrupt practices by Chicago police officers. In September 2024, more than 27 years after his arrest, Soto’s conviction was vacated.
The lawsuit accuses the defendants of violating Soto’s constitutional rights under 42 U.S.C. § 1983 and Illinois law through malicious prosecution, unlawful detention, failure to intervene, conspiracy to violate constitutional rights, and municipal liability against the City of Chicago for its role in fostering an environment where such misconduct could occur unchecked. The suit seeks compensatory damages for loss of liberty and emotional distress suffered by Soto during his wrongful imprisonment.
Representing Oscar Soto are attorneys Jon Loevy, Anand Swaminathan, Steve Art, and Israa Alzamli from Loevy & Loevy law firm based in Chicago. The case is presided over by Judge Obbish under Case ID: 1:24-cv-12554.