Sheriff sues Sunny Naqvi for $1 million over ‘false story’ about ICE detention; Claims she was with ex-boyfriend
A Wisconsin sheriff has now sued Sani Naqvi, an Illinois woman who claimed in March that she was detained by U.S. Customs and Border Protection agents at O’Hare International Airport took the individual to an ICE facility.
The alleged detention made national headlines as Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, a family friend, promoted the incident and called for his release.
When he was released, the Department of Homeland Security released footage showing that Naqvi was allowed to leave the airport about 90 minutes after he landed and was never detained by ICE.
Now Dodge County Sheriff Dale Schmidt has filed a defamation lawsuit against Naqvi and Morrison, saying the evidence shows their claims were false. Releasing videos, documents and text messages,
Schmidt claimed that there is no verified evidence to support what Naqvi has claimed. “At no time was Sundas Naqvi in the custody of the Dodge County Sheriff’s Office,” he said.
‘Sunny Naqvi checked into a hotel.’
Sunny Naqvi’s family members raised concerns when his whereabouts were unknown, but now Schmidt claims there is evidence to show that Naqvi stayed at a hotel in Rosemont, Illinois, about three hours after landing at O’Hare on March 5.
They also showed surveillance video indicating that Naqvi was driven by an ex-boyfriend to Beaver Dam, Wisconsin, and back to the Chicago area on March 7.
The sheriff said the ex-boyfriend told them he gave Naqvi about $25,000 over a few weeks, which included his flight to Turkey.
Schmidt said, “I don’t have any charges against her in Dodge County. My only recourse is to make sure the public knows she can’t do this.”
He said Naqvi’s story has damaged the reputation of the agency. At the time, Naqvi’s family and lawyer had claimed that he was detained along with others due to his bizarre travel history.
According to one account, the group, which included Naqvi and three American citizens, including three Pakistani-origin green card holders, had originally planned to travel to India. But they could not travel beyond Türkiye and had to return to America.
Upon his return, he was reportedly stopped and Naqvi’s lawyer claimed that he was placed in ICE custody.
The family claimed they were held at the airport for 30 hours, then taken to a facility in Illinois, and then to Dodge County, Wisconsin.
This last part is the foundation of the lawsuit, but neither Naqvi nor Morrison have commented on it.
Naqvi’s record is not clean, as he was convicted of lying about being a victim of sexual harassment. Cook County court records show Naqvi has been evicted twice in recent years.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times report, in 2024, River North Apartment Complex said it owed more than $43,000 in rent and fees.
Around the same time, JPMorgan said it owed nearly $15,000 in unpaid credit card debt.”
