CHICAGO, Nov. 16 (Xinhua) -- A criminal court in the U.S. state of Illinois on Thursday overturned convictions of 15 men whose cases were tied to a corrupt Chicago policeman.
Prosecutors dropped charges in 18 cases against the 15 men, who were sentenced to prison on drug charges, local media reported.
So far, 20 people who claimed to be framed by former police sergeant Ronald Watts and his crew have been acquitted in mostly drug-related charges.
The 15 men filed a petition alleging Watts and his crew framed them between 2003 and 2008.
In 2013, Watts was sentenced to 22 months in jail. He was accused of planting drugs on suspects who refused to pay him bribes. His corruption came to light when he stole money from a drug courier who was working as an FBI informant.
Although it was said to be the first mass exoneration in the history of Cook County, Illinois, "this is just the tip of the iceberg," said Joshua Tepfer, the lead attorney for the 15 men who were exonerated.
"The officers involved in this corruption were responsible for 1,000 arrests in this decade-long reign of terror," he was quoted by Chicago Sun-Times as saying.
