The feds were forced to arrest one of their own this week, taking a Customs and Border Protection officer named Luis Uribe into custody.
U.S. prosecutors in Chicago on Tuesday called Uribe a “serial rapist,” who they say was so proficient at using his CBP badge and gun to control Chinese sex workers that the women convened community meetings in an effort to convince the federal officer to stop.
Uribe, 44, from far northwest suburban Pingree Grove, was even photographed in a diner by one of the victims according to federal law enforcement. According to court filings obtained Tuesday by NBC5 Investigates, the “defendant had committed prior rapes and robberies of sex workers, members of that community already had defendant’s photograph when the last two attacks occurred” back in 2022.
Authorities reveal that there “may be additional victims identified in the future.”
Uribe worked as a custom’s officer at O’Hare International Airport, carrying a badge and gun…both of which he allegedly used to rape Chinese sex workers at hotels in Schaumburg and Naperville in 2022.
Schaumburg police were notified at the time according to court filings and even gathered hotel room evidence. Why Uribe wasn’t arrested back then hasn’t been revealed.
“This is a ticking bomb…” says former Chicago assistant U.S. attorney Ron Safer.
The one-time federal prosecutor says there are questions about why this case wasn’t investigated, and whether some victims were raped after authorities knew there was a serial attacker in uniform and still on the job with a badge and a gun.
Safer says even a sex worker can’t give consent at the end of a gun barrel.
“No, you cannot,” said Safer. “The things that are alleged in this complaint are horrific. There is no consent for that. There’s no excuse for that. There’s no excuse for that. It is a clear abuse of office, and he is a huge danger to the community.”
Safer also says he is concerned there may be many other unreported victims.
“When you abuse your office, when you use your badge and use the color of law to engage in sex acts, there are going to be countless people who do not report that for fear of getting deported, of getting arrested, all of that. And so the number of victims are countless…”
The government is attempting to have officer Uribe held without bond. As a dual Mexican/American citizen they say he’s likely to flee the U.S. A hearing on that is set for Monday.
We have asked Schaumburg and Naperville police about why arrests weren’t made nearly four years ago when numerous women alleged they had been raped. So far, no responses.
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