Retired Chicago Officer Pleads Guilty in Ticket-Dismissal Fraud, Gets Probation

Overview

• Jeffrey Kriv, 56, pleaded guilty to a single count of felony theft, received 18 months’ probation, and was ordered to pay $4,515 in restitution as part of a plea deal that led prosecutors to drop eight other felony charges.
• Cook County prosecutors now say Kriv used false testimony and fabricated reports to get 56 of his own traffic tickets dismissed over more than a decade.
• The state’s attorney’s office has dismissed at least 92 traffic and criminal cases based on Kriv’s arrests or tickets, citing his credibility issues, and reports no pending cases that require his testimony.
• Prosecutors say future claims from people previously convicted in cases tied to Kriv will be reviewed, and records show some cases involving defendants with outstanding warrants could be called again.
• The case followed an Office of Inspector General complaint; investigators cited city surveillance video and an altered ticket, and Kriv was stripped of police powers before retiring in January 2023 as a pension board now weighs his benefits under Illinois law.