Two brothers, accused as a veritable crime wave of serial rape, have been sentenced to 147 years in prison in what is expected to be the first in a series of trials.
L.B. Joseph, 31, and Leondo Joseph, 40, both of Chicago stood before Cook County Circuit Court Judge Dennis J. Porter in a heavily guarded courtroom where a number of their alleged victims came to see prison terms handed out.
Cook County prosecutors Mary Jackovac and Amy Watroba called the facts at this first trial “horrific” saying the Joseph brothers kidnapped and serially raped a woman for hours at gunpoint.
Both men, who represented themselves at trial, continued to insist in court that they are innocent.
Leondo Joseph was initially charged in 2014 with 216 counts of rape and six victims. L.B. Joseph was charged with 93 counts and two victims. A brand new victim has now been added for each of them.
Leondo Joseph, dressed in an orange jumpsuit, feet shackled, railed, threatened suicide and swore at the judge.
Seven Cook County armed officers guarded the proceedings, as he was led out shouting the “Illinois court system is prejudiced.”
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L.B. Joseph, later, was no more contrite attacking the victim, who testified at trial, as a liar and said in court that NBC5’s reporting was “slanderous.”
Judge Porter sentenced each man to 147 years as multiple alleged victims watched in court.
One was Nikki Saez, who arrived at the Criminal Courts building accompanied by her mother Michelle Ford, with both apprehension and determination.
“I can walk in with a smile because I know I’ll be leaving there and I’ll be able to move on with my life,” Saez said.
There were only tears when she recounted in December 2014, in an NBC 5 interview, how she told police L.B. Joseph repeatedly raped her after they met on a date.
Police and prosecutors did not charge L.B. Joseph with rape in Saez’s case, citing inconsistencies. He was charged with battery but was found not guilty by a judge.
Two years later both men were indicted on multiple counts of rape.
Last September a Cook County jury found both brothers guilty.
Michelle Ford, Nikki Saez’s mother, has been a constant presence in court throughout pre-trial motions and testimony.
“My daughter didn’t get justice but these other victims can have a piece of mind now,” she said of today’s sentencing.
The reality of rape is what was also on trial here as rapists statistically have more than one victim.
“We know that the men who perpetrate these crimes tend to do so over the course of their lifetimes," said Sarah Layden, interim executive director of Rape Victim Advocates.
The legal system didn’t believe Nikki Saez but today, she said, she got justice just the same.
“I still said 'no' that night and I’m so thankful these girls got justice and had their cases heard the way they are supposed to be heard.”
