Rogers Park child sex offender is 2nd jail inmate to die from COVID-19

A registered sex offender who was awaiting trial for sexually assaulting a boy in Rogers Park is the second detainee to die at Cook County Jail from COVID-19 complications, according to court records and the Cook County Medical Examiner. Leslie S. Pieroni, 51, was pronounced dead at 5:51 p.m. Thursday at St. Anthony’s Hospital.

Leslie Pieroni | CPD

CWBChicago first reported the latest allegations against Pieroni in December 2018.

Pieroni was already in the state’s sex offender registry for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old in 2003 when prosecutors accused him of repeatedly sexually assaulting another 12-year-old boy in the apartment complex where Pieronio worked as a janitor.

Pieroni threatened to kill the boy if he told anyone about the series of assaults, according to court records.

The attacks allegedly began around Nov. 15, 2018, on the 1700 block of West Estes. Pieroni touched the boy’s private areas on “numerous occasions,” police said. When the victim backed away from one encounter, Pieroni allegedly said, “Come here! Come here. If you tell any one I’ll kill your family.”

Pieroni also sent text messages to the boy and ordered him to delete the messages after receiving them, police said.

State records show Pieroni was convicted in 2003 of two counts of predatory criminal sexual assault of a child under 13-years-old. He was sentenced to eight years in prison on one count and seven years on the second count. Records show Pieroni was discharged from parole on Dec. 3, 2016.

A total of 276 detainees at Cook County Jail have tested positive for COVID-19 as of 5 p.m. on Apr. 9, according to sheriff’s office records. Another 172 employees of the sheriff’s office have also tested positive.

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About CWBChicago 6026 Articles
CWBChicago was created in 2013 by five residents of Wrigleyville and Boystown who had grown disheartened with inaccurate information that was being provided at local Community Policing (CAPS) meetings. Our coverage area has expanded since then to cover Lincoln Park, River North, The Loop, Uptown, and other North Side Areas. But our mission remains unchanged: To provide original public safety reporting with better context and greater detail than mainstream media outlets. Our editorial email address is news@cwbchicago.com