A former Schaumburg police officer who was indicted in a drug skimming scheme took to the Internet to defend himself.
John Cichy is one of three former cops accused of stealing cash and drugs from dealers and re-selling the narcotics for profit. He's currently free on bond.
Cichy uploaded a "personal message" to YouTube.com on April 4. The post was later taken down, but not before it was captured by the Daily Herald.
In the video, Cichy cites the unfairness of having to worry about these charges when he has to battle Mexican cartels and thousands of members of Chicago street gangs, and also about his faith in God.
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Cichy's attorney says his client won't be making any more public statements at this time.
Richard Kling, a defense attorney not connected to the case, says making a video like this can be dangerous for someone facing prison time.
"I think it can potentially backfire," Kling said. "If the state should be interested in eventually playing it, their argument will be that it's amazing he didn't find it [his faith] when he was on the streets stealing and doing what he was allegedly doing. He found it after he was charged and that's disingenuous, I would imagine their argument would be."
Cichy and former officers Terrance O’Brien and Mathew Hudek pleaded not guilty to multiple felonies for their roles in the alleged scheme. Charges against at least 19 former drug defendants have since been dropped.
All three men resigned from their posts as police officers.
