Chicago's Roman Catholic leadership has gone to court to fight back against what it says is an organized scam by Chicago gang members and their friends and relatives to extort money from the church by filing lawsuits falsely claiming to have been sexually abused by a notorious Catholic priest.
Last month, the Chicago Archdiocese filed a so-called counterclaim in Cook County Circuit Court against seven "counter-defendants."
In filing the counterclaim, the Archdiocese says the action seeks to expose and bring to an end a growing effort by criminals and their associates to prey upon the church's willingness to settle historical child sexual abuse claims against its clerics.
“While we cannot erase the past, including the misconduct of priests who committed real harms, we can try to ease the pain and suffering of survivors through accountability and support," said Chicago Archdiocese General Counsel James Geoly in a statement.
"False claims make it necessary to investigate all claims more aggressively, which places a greater burden on true survivors. Our attention is directed toward survivors, not fraudsters seeking to gain financially from others’ pain and suffering."
In the counterclaim, the Archdiocese asserts it is now the victim of a loosely organized racketeering enterprise, instigated and run by a group that includes men the complaint identifies as members of a Chicago gang faction known as the "Ziploc Money Gang."
The complaint asserts the ZMG is an offshoot of the Gangster Disciples, and is primarily engaged in drug trafficking and other criminal activities on Chicago's West Side.
According to the Archdiocese, one of the alleged fraudsters is a man in prison after being convicted of murder.
And at least one of the alleged conspirators is deceased, after having been shot and killed in 2022.
The Archdiocese asserts the ZMG members have each filed false and fraudulent claims of sexual abuse against the church, as they seek relatively quick and easy settlement payouts from the church, which the alleged fraudsters allegedly refer to as "for sure money."
"The scheme involves a quid pro quo among coconspirators who are associated by gang affiliation, friendship, or family: in exchange for a share of the anticipated settlement of a false claim, coconspirators tell their associates what to say to successfully pursue a false claim, how to embellish their purported injuries, and refer them to plaintiff's lawyers who are expected to aggressively seek settlement even for the most dubious claims," the church said in its counterclaim. "In some instances, the coconspirators exchange money even before achieving a settlement, enabled by litigation funding loans that are obtained with the assistance of plaintiff's counsel."
In its filing, the church included details from recorded phone conversations between members of the conspiracy and those who were already in prison, as the incarcerated alleged conspirators discussed their desire to "get on the money train" or "get on the lick," a street slang term for a fraud scam.
According to the filing, some of the alleged conspirators freely admitted on phone calls in prison - which all prisoners are told are being recorded - that they never were actually abused by anyone associated with the church, but were only after "free money."
According to the filing, the fraudsters began by obtaining settlements for themselves, claiming they had participated in children's community programs or basketball activities led by former Chicago Catholic priest Daniel McCormack.
McCormack is known as one of the most notorious child abusing Catholic priests in Illinois. According to information published by the Illinois Attorney General's office, McCormack "preyed on young, vulnerable boys in black parishes on the West Side of Chicago," resulting in more than 100 claims leveled against the Archdiocese from alleged victims of McCormack.
Altogether, the Chicago Archdiocese has paid out more than $80 million in settlements to end lawsuits from alleged child sexual abuse victims since 2001, according to published reports.
In its filing, the Archdiocese said a growing number of those claims are fraudulent.
They asserted some of the Doe counter defendants first obtained money in 2012. They allegedly used the money to fund extravagant travel to destinations including Las Vegas and Miami, buying cars or other luxury items. They then sold off their annuities, which were meant to support them for life, "for pennies on the dollar."
As they exhausted their funds, the fraudsters then allegedly began to recruit others to file similarly false claims, allegedly investing in their claims or threatening violence to secure a cut of future payouts from the Archdiocese to settle the allegedly false claims.
According to the Archdiocese's filing, the conspirators assured their associates that they didn't need to be abused themselves and would be "coached" on "what to say in order to successfully pursue" a claim against the Archdiocese.
The conspirators allegedly told associates they had lawyers lined up who were "thirsty" to take their cases to court.
The counterclaim specifically named attorney William F. "Bill" Martin as an attorney used by the alleged conspirators to press their allegedly fraudulent claims.
The Archdiocese's filing came in late March in response to two lawsuits on behalf of two particular men, identified only as John T. and John U. Doe.
All of the targets of the Archdiocese action are identified only as "Doe," including John T. Doe, John U. Doe and Does 101-105.
Those lawsuits were filed by attorneys Gregory T. Condon and Julia Martin, of the Condon Law Firm, of La Grange; Michael A. Faccenda, of the Faccenda Law Group, of La Grange; James E. Coogan and Caroleann Gallagher, of Coogan Gallagher, of Park Ridge; David L. King and Paul E. Kelly, of Kelly & King P.C., of Chicago; and Jonathon Treat, of the Treat Law Office, of Chicago.
None of the attorneys are named as defendants in the Archdiocese's counterclaim.
After the Archdiocese filed its counterclaim, the plaintiffs attempted to remove that action from Cook County Circuit Court to Chicago federal court.
U.S. District Judge LaShonda Hunt questioned that move, saying under prior case precedent the case likely should belong in state court in Cook County.
On April 29, the plaintiffs conceded the point and said they would not oppose sending the Archdiocese's claims to Cook County.
They were represented in federal court by attorney Alexander Michael, of Ettinger & Associates, of Palos Heights.
No court has yet ruled on whether the Archdiocese will be allowed to proceed with its counterclaim against the alleged fraud conspirators.
The Archdiocese is seeking court orders seeking money damages from the defendants, including unspecified compensatory damages and punitive damages of at least twice that amount, plus other restitution.
The Archdiocese is represented by attorney Adam T. Rick and others with the firms of Burke Warren MacKay & Serritella P.C., of Chicago; and Foran Glennon Palandech Ponzi & Rudloff P.C., of Chicago.