Luis Uribe was convicted on 11 federal counts stemming from sexual assaults and robberies in Chicago-area hotels in 2022.
CHICAGO, IL — A federal jury convicted U.S. Customs and Border Protection officer Luis Uribe on all 11 counts against him Thursday, finding that he used his law enforcement authority during sexual assaults and robberies involving multiple women in Chicago’s suburbs.
Uribe, 45, of Pingree Grove, was convicted after a nearly two-week trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago. The jury found him guilty of 10 counts of deprivation of civil rights under color of law and one count of brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence. The convictions carry a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum possible sentence of life.
Federal prosecutors said Uribe, who performed customs and immigration duties for CBP in the Chicago area and was primarily assigned to O’Hare International Airport, abused the authority that came with his badge and position. The government said he sexually assaulted and robbed two women, robbed and attempted to sexually assault two others, and brandished a firearm during at least one assault. The crimes occurred in Schaumburg and Naperville in 2022.
The four women testified during the trial about their encounters with Uribe. Local news reports said the women had connections to the sex trade and testified with the assistance of Chinese interpreters. Prosecutors argued that their work did not make their accounts less credible and pointed to other evidence they said supported their testimony. The women were not identified in the Justice Department’s announcement of the verdict.
Uribe testified in his own defense and denied sexually assaulting or robbing the women. He acknowledged meeting sex workers but told jurors the sexual encounters were consensual. He also denied being armed during the encounters. His attorney, Michael Clancy, argued that Uribe had been falsely accused after refusing to assist people connected to the women with immigration matters.
Prosecutors rejected that account and argued that Uribe used his position as a federal officer to intimidate the women. At the time of the offenses, Uribe had authority as a CBP officer to carry a firearm and make arrests under certain circumstances. The government charged that his actions were committed under color of law, a federal civil rights concept that applies when an official misuses authority associated with a government position.
The case began publicly in December 2025, when a federal indictment against Uribe was unsealed following his arrest. He initially pleaded not guilty to 10 civil rights counts and the firearm charge. The indictment accused him of conduct involving four women during a series of incidents in Schaumburg and Naperville in 2022. At that stage, prosecutors emphasized that the charges were allegations and that Uribe was presumed innocent unless the government proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
Shortly before trial, Uribe’s attorneys unsuccessfully sought to challenge the indictment because the grand jury that heard his case had also been involved in an unrelated prosecution in which questions arose about prosecutorial conduct. U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso reviewed the issue and declined to dismiss Uribe’s charges, finding no basis to conclude that problems in the unrelated matter had improperly affected Uribe’s case.
During closing arguments, prosecutors urged jurors to credit the accounts of the four women despite inconsistencies raised by the defense. The defense maintained that prosecutors had failed to prove that Uribe used his badge, firearm or official authority to carry out the crimes. Jurors began considering the case Wednesday and returned guilty verdicts Thursday on every count.
The Justice Department announced the convictions along with the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General, which participated in the case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jonathan L. Shih and Richard Rothblatt represented the government. CBP told the Chicago Sun-Times that its employees are expected to meet high standards of integrity, professionalism and personal conduct.
Uribe remains convicted but has not yet been sentenced. Judge Alonso scheduled sentencing for Jan. 21, 2027. The court will determine his sentence under federal law and applicable sentencing rules; the convictions expose him to a mandatory minimum of seven years in prison and a maximum sentence of life.
Author note: Last updated September 18, 2026.