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.
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. The indictment was unsealed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Uribe was arrested on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty at his arraignment before U.S. Magistrate Judge Keri L. Holleb Hotaling, who set a detention hearing for December 15.
The indictment was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office; and Erin Silk, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Midwest Region for the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan L. Shih is prosecuting the case.
According to authorities, Uribe performed both customs and immigration duties for CBP in the Chicago area and had the authority to carry a firearm and make arrests for felony offenses. The indictment alleges that he used his position as a law enforcement officer to sexually assault and rob two women, including brandishing a firearm during at least one incident.
The document further states that Uribe robbed and attempted to sexually assault two additional women in incidents that 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 possible sentence of life imprisonment. Sentencing would be determined according to federal statutes and advisory sentencing guidelines.
Officials emphasized that an indictment is not evidence of guilt: “The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. 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.”
Authorities have urged anyone with information about these crimes or those who may have been victims to contact them at (312) 239-7423. Assistance will be available in both English and Chinese.
