A U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officer has been indicted on federal civil rights charges, accused of sexually assaulting and robbing multiple women in the Chicago suburbs.
According to an indictment unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Luis Uribe, 44, of Pingree Grove, Illinois, faces ten counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. Authorities arrested Uribe on Tuesday morning. He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in federal court later that day. A detention hearing is scheduled for December 15.
Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge with the FBI’s Chicago Field Office; and Erin Silk, Special Agent-in-Charge for the Midwest Region of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General announced the indictment. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan L. Shih is representing the government.
Uribe performed customs and immigration duties as a CBP officer in the Chicago area and had authority to carry a firearm and make arrests for felony offenses. The indictment alleges that he acted under color of law when he sexually assaulted and robbed two women, brandishing a firearm during at least one incident.
He is also accused in the indictment of robbing and attempting to sexually assault two other women.
The alleged crimes took place in Schaumburg and Naperville, Illinois in 2022.
If convicted on all charges, Uribe faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison with a maximum penalty up to life imprisonment under federal statutes and sentencing guidelines.
Authorities remind the public that “an indictment is not evidence of guilt.” They state: “The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.”
Officials urge anyone with information about these crimes or who may have been victimized by Luis Uribe to contact (312) 239-7423; assistance is available in both English and Chinese.
