A former Chicago police officer who sexually abused four victims, including two children he met through his work as a cop, has been sentenced to 20 years in prison.
David Deleon, 32, pleaded guilty Friday to multiple felony charges before Cook County Judge Kenneth Wadas, who accepted the plea and imposed the sentence, according to court records.
Deleon’s behavior came to light in 2023, when Norridge police charged him with sexually abusing a minor in their town. The investigation widened after detectives obtained a warrant for Deleon’s phone and discovered what prosecutors described as “multiple crimes against children.” The case was then turned over to the Cook County sheriff’s police.
A forensic review of Deleon’s phone uncovered extensive evidence showing “numerous juvenile male children” socializing at his home, drinking alcohol, smoking hookah, wearing Chicago police uniforms, and handling firearms, prosecutors said in a court filing. Investigators also found photos, videos, and online searches suggesting predatory behavior, including a Google query for “drugs that makes u fall asleep.”
Authorities said Deleon recorded himself sexually abusing several victims between late 2021 and early 2023. In one series of videos, prosecutors said, a 23-year-old man was seen “asleep or engaging in sexual intercourse with an unknown adult female.” Deleon allegedly appeared in at least three clips abusing the man while he slept. The victim later told investigators he had no knowledge of or consent to being touched or recorded.
Another victim, a 14-year-old boy, first encountered Deleon on March 20, 2023, when he went to a Chicago police station to report a battery at school. Prosecutors said Deleon befriended the child, exchanged Snapchat information, and later arranged to meet the boy around 3 a.m. The teen fell asleep on Deleon’s couch after playing video games and watching TV. Photos timestamped from that night allegedly show Deleon assaulting the sleeping boy.
A third victim, a 13-year-old boy, came into Deleon’s orbit after the officer arrested the child’s parent, according to prosecutors. Deleon allegedly took the boy to dinner several times before inviting him to stay over on May 4, 2022. Investigators later recovered videos of Deleon zooming in on the sleeping child’s private areas and sexually abusing him.
Deleon joined the Chicago Police Department in 2017 and was placed on no-pay status when the first charges were filed. He has since been separated from the department.
On Friday, Deleon pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated sexual abuse of a child by a person in a position of trust, aggravated criminal sexual abuse causing bodily harm, and aggravated criminal sexual abuse during the commission of another felony. Judge Wadas sentenced him to six years on each count involving minors and four years for each of the remaining two counts. The sentences will run consecutively, totaling 20 years.
