Eddie Johnson: Sacked Chicago police chief accused of sexually assaulting assistant, staking inappropriate bets

CHICAGO: Former Chicago police chief Eddie Johnson, 63, is under intense scrutiny as fresh details emerge from a lawsuit filed by his former assistant, Cynthia Donald.

The allegations include sexual assault, inappropriate bets, and a toxic work environment that spanned several years.

Ex-police chief faces lawsuit over sexual assault claims

The court filings reveal disturbing incidents, including an outrageous bet made during a trip to London in October 2019 where Johnson, who was married at the time, allegedly wagered on the outcome of a Bears game, staking the panties his assistant, Donald, was wearing at the time, according to a friend who was also present there.

Johnson reportedly said, "OK, well, if the Raiders lose, I get to have the panties that Cynthia has on right now," the friend recalled. "And I told him, 'Look, I don't have anything to do with that. At this point, the bet is off because that's inappropriate,'" Daily Mail reported.

The lawsuit contends that Johnson deliberately moved Donald to his security detail in 2016 due to his attraction to her. It further accuses him of assaulting her three months later, pushing her onto a couch, removing her pants, and engaging in non-consensual acts.

Lawsuit exposes Eddie Johnson's alleged abuse of power

The lawsuit claims that Johnson went so far as to ejaculate on her, declaring, "Now you belong to me." The friend of Donald's, providing a statement, emphasized that the relationship was "never consensual" and alleged that he abused his position of power, treating those beneath him poorly.

"I feel like he took advantage of her because of his title and the position he held with the city, and anybody that's not on his level, he treats like the gum on the bottom of his shoe," she stated. "She was frightened. The situation pretty much put her career down the drain."

The scandal also involves explicit photographs, as Johnson admitted to sending a lewd photo of his genitals to his assistant. While he insists it was consensual, another friend of Donald's disputes this, stating that she "sounded like she was disgusted by it." "She goes, 'This is what this guy had the nerve to send me today,"' the friend claimed.

Eddie Johnson and Cynthia Donald's drunken episode

The lawsuit outlines a pattern of "uninvited sexual abuse," derogatory language, and demeaning behavior that Donald endured during her time as Johnson's assistant. Even after being found drunk at the wheel in 2019, Donald was in Johnson's company on the evening of the incident, with security cameras capturing them kissing at the Ceres bar in the city center.

She asserts that she was instructed to join him at the bar, where he consumed "several large servings of rum." Nevertheless, Johnson allegedly continued his inappropriate behavior, leading to then-Mayor Lori Lightfoot demanding Donald's removal from his staff.

Despite being transferred to the records division, the lawsuit claims that Johnson persisted in sexually assaulting her. He, in turn, contends that Donald willingly maintained the relationship and even suggests she proposed using 'burner phones' to communicate.

As the legal battle unfolds, the fate of Johnson now rests in the hands of US District Judge Elaine Bucklo, who is set to rule next month on his motion to dismiss the case before it goes to trial. The scandal has already led to his firing in December 2019, with Lightfoot citing a "series of ethical lapses" as the reason behind the decision.