Supreme Court narrows federal prosecutors' authority in Chicago case

The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with former Chicago Alderman Patrick Daley Thompson in a case about false statements. On Friday, Chief Justice John Roberts announced a unanimous opinion stating that the law Thompson was convicted under only criminalizes false statements, not misleading ones. This decision sends the case back to the appeals court for further review. Thompson was found guilty in February 2022 of lying to regulators and filing false income tax returns, which resulted in the end of his position on the Chicago City Council. He is from a well-known political family, being the grandson of former Mayor Richard J. Daley. Thompson served four months in prison and has completed his sentence. His appeal focused on whether his statements to regulators were false. His attorney, Chris Gair, expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court's decision, suggesting it may influence the Justice Department. The ruling continues a trend of limiting federal prosecutors' power. Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson added that the original jury was properly instructed. She noted that it was up to the jury to decide if Thompson's statements were actually false. The case involved $219,000 Thompson received in loans from a now-defunct bank. He was convicted of claiming deductions on his taxes for mortgage interest he did not pay. The bank was shut down amid fraud allegations, and Thompson disputed the amount he owed when contacted by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. His lawyers argued that his statements were not false, as he did borrow money and disputed the higher amount owed.