Nicosia Mathews

Case #: 21PB2993
Police badge #: 18006
Download original case files
- 21PB2993_Charges.pdf

Recommendation Termination
Decision Termination
Length of process about 1 year April 20, 2021 to June 16, 2022 Closed

Investigative Agency COPA

Charged with violating 7 rules on 10 counts


Rule 2	3 counts	Any action or conduct which impedes the Department's efforts to achieve its policy and goals or brings discredit upon the Department. Count 1 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:22 p.m., at or near the location of [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, while off duty and wearing articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her vest and/or badge and/or firearm), Police Officer Nicosia Mathews threatened Nicole Pugh (“Pugh”) by stating, “I am going to beat your ass,” or words to that effect, and/or by placing her hand on her firearm, and/or by using her authority as a Chicago Police Officer in attempting to gain entry to Pugh’s home and/or by intimidating Pugh, without justification. Count 2 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:24 p.m., at or near [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, Police Officer Nicosia Mathews provided false and/or misleading information to a Country Club Hills Police Officer(s) (including, but not limited to, Country Club Hills Police Officer Luis Serna), in that she claimed that she had just gotten off work, or words to that effect, when she had not, in fact, just gotten off work. Count 3 Guilty On or about February 15, 2019, at the offices of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (“COPA”) located near 1615 West Chicago Avenue in Chicago, Police Officer Nicosia Mathews, during an audio-recorded interview, provided false and/or misleading information to COPA, in that she denied that she wore one or more articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her firearm and/or vest) on or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:24 p.m., at or near [xxxx] West 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, or words to that effect, when she had, in fact, worn one or more articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform on that date, time, and location.
Rule 4	1 count	Any conduct or action taken to use the official position for personal gain or influence. Count 1 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:22 p.m., at or near the location of [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, while off duty and wearing articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her vest and/or badge and/or firearm), Police Officer Nicosia Mathews threatened Nicole Pugh (“Pugh”) by stating, “I am going to beat your ass,” or words to that effect, and/or by placing her hand on her firearm, and/or by using her authority as a Chicago Police Officer in attempting to gain entry to Pugh’s home and/or by intimidating Pugh, without justification.
Rule 6	1 count	Disobedience of an order or directive, whether written or oral. Count 1 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:22 p.m., at or near the location of [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, while off duty and wearing articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her vest and/or badge and/or firearm), Police Officer Nicosia Mathews threatened Nicole Pugh (“Pugh”) by stating, “I am going to beat your ass,” or words to that effect, and/or by placing her hand on her firearm, and/or by using her authority as a Chicago Police Officer in attempting to gain entry to Pugh’s home and/or by intimidating Pugh, without justification.
Rule 8	1 count	Disrespect to or maltreatment of any person, while on or off duty. Count 1 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:22 p.m., at or near the location of [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, while off duty and wearing articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her vest and/or badge and/or firearm), Police Officer Nicosia Mathews threatened Nicole Pugh (“Pugh”) by stating, “I am going to beat your ass,” or words to that effect, and/or by placing her hand on her firearm, and/or by using her authority as a Chicago Police Officer in attempting to gain entry to Pugh’s home and/or by intimidating Pugh, without justification.
Rule 9	1 count	Engaging in any unjustified verbal or physical altercation with any person, while on or off duty. Count 1 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:22 p.m., at or near the location of [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, while off duty and wearing articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her vest and/or badge and/or firearm), Police Officer Nicosia Mathews threatened Nicole Pugh (“Pugh”) by stating, “I am going to beat your ass,” or words to that effect, and/or by placing her hand on her firearm, and/or by using her authority as a Chicago Police Officer in attempting to gain entry to Pugh’s home and/or by intimidating Pugh, without justification.
Rule 38	1 count	Unlawful or unnecessary use or display of a weapon. Count 1 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:22 p.m., at or near the location of [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, while off duty and wearing articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her vest and/or badge and/or firearm), Police Officer Nicosia Mathews threatened Nicole Pugh (“Pugh”) by stating, “I am going to beat your ass,” or words to that effect, and/or by placing her hand on her firearm, and/or by using her authority as a Chicago Police Officer in attempting to gain entry to Pugh’s home and/or by intimidating Pugh, without justification.
Rule 14	2 counts	Making a false report, written or oral. Count 1 Guilty On or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:24 p.m., at or near [xxxx] 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, Police Officer Nicosia Mathews provided false and/or misleading information to a Country Club Hills Police Officer(s) (including, but not limited to, Country Club Hills Police Officer Luis Serna), in that she claimed that she had just gotten off work, or words to that effect, when she had not, in fact, just gotten off work. Count 2 Guilty On or about February 15, 2019, at the offices of the Civilian Office of Police Accountability (“COPA”) located near 1615 West Chicago Avenue in Chicago, Police Officer Nicosia Mathews, during an audio-recorded interview, provided false and/or misleading information to COPA, in that she denied that she wore one or more articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform (including, but not limited to: her firearm and/or vest) on or about June 11, 2018, at approximately 9:24 p.m., at or near [xxxx] West 175th Place in Country Club Hills, Illinois, or words to that effect, when she had, in fact, worn one or more articles of her Chicago Police Department uniform on that date, time, and location.

Board Member Votes & Decisions

Majority Decision

3 agreed

Agreed with the final decision of the board

0 disagreed

Disagreed with the final decision of the board

0 did not vote

Did not vote or were not present for voting

The Board finds Respondent’s utter lack of credibility disturbing—her COPA statements and hearing testimony were inconsistent and disingenuous. Most notably, during both of her COPA statements she denied having any verbal or physical contact whatsoever with Nicole Pugh on the night of the incident and maintained that she did not even see Nicole in the house. During her hearing testimony, however, Respondent acknowledged that she did engage in a confrontation with Nicole in the house and even filmed Nicole with Respondent’s cell phone while Nicole was barely dressed. The Superintendent highlighted numerous additional inconsistencies between Respondent’s COPA statements and her hearing testimony which collectively discredit Respondent’s substantive hearing testimony altogether.

The Board finds Respondent’s claim not credible and deeply troubling, especially because she, a sworn Chicago police officer, made the same false statement not once but twice. The body-worn camera footage and recorded 911 call do not portray Respondent as hysterical at all—in fact, she appears and sounds quite calm. Additionally, during her second COPA statement, Respondent contradicted her claim that her statements were unintentional when she admitted that she told the 911 operator and Officer Serna that she had just left work so that she could get the officers’ attention. The Superintendent established that Respondent’s true purposes for lying to Officer Serna and to the 911 operator were to avoid discipline for wearing her uniform off-duty and to bolster her credibility as a witness for her brother. The Board finds that Respondent’s false statement to Officer Serna was both willful and material and that Respondent is guilty of the charges set forth in Specification No. 2.

Respondent’s statement to COPA that she was not wearing her vest or gun that night was materially false and she knew it was false -- it was designed to shield herself from disciplinary action and to escape responsibility for abusing her authority as a Chicago police officer. The Board finds that the preponderance of the evidence supports a finding that Respondent is guilty of the charges alleged in Specification No. 3.