(Daily Signal)—A nasty divorce case has put a man behind bars for 18 months in Chicago’s Cook County Jail despite what he says is a clean criminal record.
Thanks to a law first proposed by Illinois’ black lawmakers after the George Floyd protests of 2020, thousands of dangerous inmates are being released onto the streets of Chicago and other cities, while those subject to civil complaints are jailed like criminals.
Such is the case of Illinois native Steve Fanady, 59, who has been rotting in a Cook County jail cell in solitary confinement for 18 months over an unresolved, 14-year-old divorce settlement.
“I’m terrified of dying in prison over a 14-year-old divorce case,” Fanady told the New York Post.
A provision of the state’s 2023 Safety, Accountability, Fairness, and Equity-Today Act, or SAFE-T, effectively eliminates cash bail, allowing inmates who aren’t deemed flight risks to be released pretrial. The provision applies to those charged with violent crimes such as murder, rape, armed robbery, and aggravated assault.
Take the recent example of Cook County’s liberal use of electronic monitoring for violent criminals. Bertell Johnson, a convicted felon awaiting trial for murder, was charged with additional felonies after investigators seized firearms from his residence, including an assault rifle and a handgun with an auto switch, along with ammunition and narcotics, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart said in a Jan. 29 press release.
“Mr. Johnson was caught with multiple firearms, ammunition, and a drum magazine while on EM [electronic monitoring] for murder,” Dart said in the press release. “This was an unacceptable risk to the safety of the community, and perfectly illustrates why I have for years argued that individuals charged with violent crimes should not be placed on electronic monitoring.”
The provision doesn’t apply to Fanady, however, since he is in the Cook County Jail on a civil complaint, not a criminal one.
Chicago’s news media barely has reported on Fanady’s case, perhaps because he doesn’t fit into the Windy City’s protected class: violent criminals.
The Daily Signal spoke with Fanady via Zoom to bring attention to his story and shed light on the harsh consequences of woke measures such as the SAFE-T Act. Fanady said that he is being held in jail on a judge’s order until he can pay $10 million or transfer 120,000 shares of stock to his ex-wife.
He had agreed to give his ex-wife everything she demanded, and a judge allowed him to keep stocks he had in Swiss bank accounts, Fanady said. But, he said, he spent the next 10 years pursuing his business partners because she suspected them of hiding some of his assets.
In June 2022, a Cook County judge ordered Fanady to pay $10 million or transfer 120,000 shares of stock to his ex-wife, or face years in jail for indirect civil contempt.
“I never had anywhere close to $10 million,” Fanady told The New York Post. “The money I did have was spent on a decade of expensive divorce litigation and child support.”
The judge then wanted him to prove he doesn’t have the stock any longer, but he can’t, Fanady said, because the record retention deadline on the Swiss accounts passed and documents aren’t available.
The judge has yet to make another ruling, he said, making it almost impossible for him to get out of prison.
What’s happening to him doesn’t happen in the America he once believed in, Fanady told The Daily Signal. Now he sees violent criminals released on electronic monitoring shortly after getting arrested.
The Daily Signal asked Fanady’s attorney, Laura Grochocki, about her client’s situation.
“The Illinois Supreme Court’s mandate of no-cash bail for criminal defendants and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart’s release of thousands of defendants with violent criminal histories onto electronic monitoring, juxtaposed with his opposition to electronic monitoring for a noncriminal detainee like Steve Fanady, exposes a troubling incongruity in our legal system,” Grochocki said in a written statement to The Daily Signal.
“This discrepancy undermines trust in the system’s fairness and raises serious concerns about the protection of constitutional rights,” she said. “It’s imperative to address these disparities to ensure equal treatment and justice for all.”
In the Zoom interview with The Daily Signal, Fanady said he has been mistreated while in custody and is suing the sheriff for abuse.
Fanady said his cell is infested with rats and cockroaches. He said he hasn’t been able to shower or to get medical treatment for his physical and mental health. He sometimes isn’t allowed out of his cell at all, he said, even with other inmates during daylight.
Jail officials consider Fanady to be at high risk for suicide, especially after his parents—Greek immigrants who fled persecution in Turkey for a better life in America—both died while their only son was in jail.
So, Cook County releases violent criminals with electronic monitoring, but won’t release Fanady. The double standard in Chicago could not be more obvious, and it’s ruining lives.
The results of woke policies like the SAFE-T Act are that everyday Americans are targeted while criminals, even violent ones, get a slap on the wrist.
Steve Fanady deserves better. The people of Chicago deserve better.
Why the National Debt Is the Looming Threat to Your Retirement Plans
The Hidden Crisis No One Is Talking About
Every day, headlines warn about inflation, market volatility, and global instability—but the greatest looming threat to your retirement might be something far more fundamental: America’s skyrocketing national debt.
You can learn more about how the national debt affects you by reading this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“.
With debt growing faster than most Americans can possibly fathom, the government’s borrowing habits have reached historic—and dangerous—levels. To cover spending, Washington is making moves with their budget packages, tariffs, and taxes. Is it enough? No. It’s not even close to what would be necessary to stop out-of-control debt, let alone reverse it.
How Debt Erodes Your Nest Egg
There are only so many levers government and the Federal Reserve can pull to try to protect Americans, assuming that’s even a top priority for them. Unfortunately, pulling one level to relive one pressure invariably adds pressure from another direction. This is why prices keep going up even as inflation reportedly slows.
For retirees and pre-retirees, that’s a perfect storm. The dollars you’ve worked hard to save lose value, and your cost of living increases while your investments lag behind.
If you’re relying solely on paper-based assets—stocks, bonds, or mutual funds—you’re essentially tied to the same system that’s creating the problem. It’s a system that was designed to work well in the 20th century, not in today’s world with people living longer and the dollar rapidly losing value.
This is why the 3-minute report, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now,” is so important.
The Precious Metals Hedge
Thousands of Americans are looking for a tangible, time-tested hedge: physical gold and silver.
Unlike paper assets, precious metals aren’t dependent on government policy or the stock market’s mood swings. They’re real, finite resources that have maintained value for thousands of years through wars, recessions, and inflationary periods.
In fact, during times of high inflation and fiscal instability, gold often performs its best—because it’s seen as a store of value when faith in the dollar weakens. This is why prices have skyrocketed this year and are expected by many economists to continue going up in the future.
Take Control with a Gold IRA
One of the most effective ways to protect your retirement from national debt fallout is through a self-directed Gold IRA. This IRS-approved account lets you hold physical gold and silver within your retirement portfolio, giving you:
- Direct ownership of your assets
- A hedge against inflation and dollar decline
- The control to diversify beyond Wall Street
Augusta Precious Metals specializes in helping Americans just like you take this step with confidence. The company has earned a strong reputation for transparency, education, and personalized service—making it one of the most trusted names in the industry.
The Next Step: Secure Your Financial Future
Augusta Precious Metals has helped thousands of Americans with at least $50,000 to invest from their IRAs, 401(K)s, TSPs, and other retirement accounts safeguard their savings through precious metals.
If you’re concerned about what the rising national debt could mean for your future, now is the time to act.
Read this 3-minute report titled, “Debt Will Hit $40T in 2026: Prepare Your Retirement Now“ and learn the simple steps you can take to protect your retirement.