In a surprising turn of events, authorities have dismissed the claims of a Chicago-area woman, who alleged she was unlawfully detained for two days, as a fabrication.
Wisconsin Sheriff Dale Schmidt has filed a defamation lawsuit against Sundas “Sunny” Naqvi, asserting that her public statements last month were false. Naqvi had claimed she was held at the Broadview U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention center before being moved to Dodge County, Wisconsin.
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“Sundas Naqvi was never in ICE custody at any point,” Sheriff Schmidt declared on Friday. “She was not transported to the Broadview detention facility, nor was she moved across state lines to Dodge County by any law enforcement agency. At no time was she under the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office.”
The lawsuit accuses the 28-year-old Naqvi of orchestrating what Schmidt calls a deliberate hoax.
Last month, Naqvi’s supporters rallied to her side after the Evanston resident claimed she had been held by Customs and Border Protection at O’Hare airport for 30 hours.
Her family corroborated her account, stating she was subsequently transferred to an ICE facility in Broadview, and later to another location in Dodge County, asserting that she was released on Saturday, March 7.
According to the lawsuit, Sheriff Schmidt says Naqvi was actually staying at a hotel near O’Hare and allegedly sending text messages from her room.
“She checked into the Hampton Inn and Suites in Rosemont, Illinois for the entire duration of this alleged event, traveled from the Hampton Inn and Suites in Illinois to the Holiday Express in Beaver Dam, (Wisconsin), was done to complete this hoax. She scammed a victim out of thousands of dollars in pursuit of this hoax against the federal government and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office,” Schmidt said.
During the sheriff’s news conference, he displayed what he says are messages from Naqvi at the time she claimed she was in custody.
One message said, “going to look into this hotel” and “in the room now.”
There was also an image shown at the press conference, in which the sheriff says Naqvi was spotted at a store in Wisconsin during the time she says she was being held by Dodge County officials.
Sheriff Schmidt says this isn’t Naqvi’s first time lying to law enforcement. Court records confirm a 2019 case in which Naqvi filed a false police report with Skokie police, claiming she was sexually assaulted in a park. She pleaded guilty and did two years of probation, and the case was then dismissed
The sheriff is also suing Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morisson for defamation. Morisson held a press conference on behalf of Naqvi last month.
“Allegations of an illegal detention of a US citizen, allegations of a government cover up by federal authorities and the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office, coordinated messaging designed to generate outrage and media attention. Misuse of the system will not go unanswered. This is Dodge County, Wisconsin, not Cook County, and we will hold them accountable,” Schmidt said.
The Dodge County sheriff said while the situation is disturbing and defamatory, no laws were broken in Wisconsin. So they cannot file criminal charges.
Neither Naqvi nor her family replied to requests for comment.
Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison said, “It is my understanding that a lawsuit has been filed. I have not seen it. And if a suit has in fact been filed, I cannot comment on pending litigation.”
The Dodge County sheriff said Naqvi was detained at O’Hare by Customs and Border Protection, but for a little over an hour, not 30 hours as she claimed.
Customs and Border Protection said she was flagged for additional inspection based on law enforcement checks.
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