Man Accusing Chicago Cop Of Racist Facebook Posts Gets Plea Deal

CHICAGO, IL — A man who uncovered allegedly racist Facebook posts by a veteran Chicago police officer who is a witness in the individual's case has struck a plea deal with federal prosecutors over drug and weapons charges. Edwin Brown, 25, pleaded guilty Thursday to heroin possession with the intent to deliver, and he has been released to stay with his grandmother after the feds dropped a gun charge as part of the agreement, according to the Chicago Tribune. His trial was set for this week, the report added.

Lawyers for Brown discovered the allegedly racially inflammatory posts of Sean Najm — one of Brown's arresting officers in the incident that led to the charges — and his wife earlier last year, and they brought them up several months ago, the report stated. The Chicago Police Department has placed Najm — a tactical officer of Lebanese descent who works in the predominantly African-American Harrison District on the West Side — on desk duty while the Chicago Police Department investigates the accusations, the report added.

At issue are social media posts by Najm and his wife of 18 years, who identifies as black Puerto Rican, that defense lawyers allege are racist and white propaganda, the report stated. Attorneys for Brown, who is black, point to a Facebook post by Najm's wife that included images of the veteran officer wearing leather that featured messages such as "I only speak English" and "I'm here to f--- s--- up," the report added.

Brown's defense also cited posts that showed Najm's affiliation to a Facebook group called Confederate Resistance, the report stated. In a photo post that has since been deleted, Najm is seen wearing a Confederate flag patch, the report added.

Najm's affiliation with the American Knights — a self-described "law enforcement-oriented motorcycle club that promotes motorcycle riding with like-minded people," according to the group's site — also was a point of concern, the report stated. Posts with the club feature the "Old No. 111" logo, an insignia the Anti-Defamation League claims is connected with with the Aryan Knights white supremacist prison gang, the report added.

Najm defended the posts and affiliations in both instances. He told prosecutors he was born and raised in the South, and he doesn't consider the Confederate flag racist, the Tribune reports. He also claimed cops of all races belonged to the American Knights club and that the "111" of its "Old No. 111" logo refers to the position of the letters "A" and "K" in American Knights ("A" is first letter of the alphabet and "K" is the 11th), the report added.

Dan McLaughlin, one of Brown's lawyers, called Najm's explanations "facile" and "self-serving, the report stated.

"It's not a Moose lodge," McLaughlin said of the American Knights.

With the plea deal, it's unlikely Brown will face additional jail time when he's sentenced in May. He had been in custody for 37 months following his arrest, according to the Tribune. That prison time was more than the 15 to 21 months who would have faced if he had been convicted of the charges against him, the report stated.

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