CBP officer charged with sexually assaulting, robbing multiple women in Chicago suburbs: officials
Investigators say a sex worker met Luis Uribe at a restaurant and took a photo of him after word of the attacks spread.
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer has been indicted on federal civil rights charges for allegedly sexually assaulting and robbing multiple women in the Chicago suburbs, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office of the Northern District of Illinois.
An indictment unsealed Tuesday in Chicago charges Luis Uribe, a 44-year-old Pingree Grove man, with 10 counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.
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Uribe performed customs and immigration duties for CBP in the Chicago area, and he was authorized to carry a firearm and make arrests, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Court documents say Uribe was working at Chicago O'Hare International Airport at the time of the allegations. Prosecutors say he abused his authority to assault and try to assault multiple women, some of them sex workers, at various suburban hotels.
Uribe allegedly sexually assaulted and robbed two women in Schaumburg and Naperville in 2022. He allegedly brandished a firearm in at least one of the sexual assaults.
Uribe also robbed and tried to sexually assault two other women, the indictment alleges.
After word of the attacks started to spread among the sex worker community, court documents say that in early 2022, one worker arranged to meet Uribe at a restaurant, where they snapped a photo of him. That witness then shared the photo with others, in order to warn potential victims.
Months later, prosecutors say, Uribe assaulted a woman, identified as Victim C, in a Schaumburg hotel room. She was able to provide police with the photo taken at that restaurant, clearly identifying the suspect.
The FBI pulled tollway data showing the suspect had traveled between Devon Toll Plaza and Elgin Toll Plaza. The hotel where the alleged attack happened is located between those toll plazas.
Uribe, arrested Tuesday morning, pleaded not guilty during his afternoon arraignment.
The government urged the judge to deny bond for Uribe, saying, "there may be additional victims identified in the future."
Judge Keri L. Holleb Hotaling ordered Uribe detained and scheduled his next hearing for Monday at 1:30 p.m.
If convicted, Uribe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of life.
The U.S. Attorney's Office asked anyone with information to call 312-239-7423.
