Chicago Man Arrested for Internet Stalking

A 47-year-old Chicago man was arrested yesterday after being charged with sending threatening and harassing communications to a Hollywood based professional model with a large online following. The arrest was announced today by Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), who was joined by Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart in announcing the arrest.

LUIS F. PLASCENCIA, who resides at 5421 North Lovejoy in Chicago, was arrested at his residence yesterday morning, without incident, by members of the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF). PLASCENCIA was charged in a criminal complaint field earlier this week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles with one count of Interstate Stalking, which is a felony offense.

According to the complaint, beginning in March of this year and continuing until his arrest, PLASCENCIA is alleged to have stalked the female victim, sending her numerous threatening and harassing messages via e-mail and Facebook. Some of the messages indicated that PLASCENCIA possessed detailed personal information about the victim, including her home address and the address of several of her friends and family members. Many of the messages threatened the victim and her family with physical harm and personal embarrassment.

The messages came from numerous e-mail addresses and user names, which were eventually traced back to PLASCENCIA, either to a personal e-mail account at his residence or to public computer terminals in the Chicago Public Library system.

PLASCENCIA appeared before Magistrate Judge Young B. Kim in Chicago yesterday afternoon, at which time he was formally charged. He was ordered held without bond, pending his next court appearance, which is scheduled for June 29th in Chicago. Until then, PLASCENCIA will be held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center (MCC) in Chicago. If convicted of the charge filed against him, PLASCENCIA faces a possible sentence of up to five (5) years’ incarceration.

This case was investigated by the Los Angeles office of the FBI and the United States Attorney’s office for the Central District of California.

The Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) is comprised of FBI special agents, detectives from the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Additional copies of the criminal complaint filed in this case are available from the Los Angeles FBI’s press office.

Arrest Made in “Wicker Park Bandit” Investigation

A suspect in a string of as many as 10 bank robberies in and around Chicago’s Wicker Park neighborhood was arrested late last night, announced Robert D. Grant, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).  Mr. Grant was joined in making this announcement by Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD) and Cook County Sheriff Thomas Dart.

SIMEON HARRIS, age 27, of 2631 South Indiana, was arrested Tuesday evening, without incident, by members of the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF) outside his residence. HARRIS was named in a criminal complaint filed last week in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count of Bank Robbery, which is a felony offense. HARRIS was charged in the complaint with the January 16 robbery of the North Community Bank branch, located at 448 North Wells Street.

According to the complaint, HARRIS was linked to the January 16 robbery by an eyewitness, who saw him flee after the theft in a maroon-colored SUV with temporary Illinois license plates. A vehicle matching the description given by the witness was impounded by the CPD a few days later, following a traffic stop and drug arrest. Subsequent investigation by VCTF members, including a search of the impounded SUV, developed evidence linking HARRIS to the robbery and the charge announced today.

Though not charged, other robberies attributed to the “Wicker Park Bandit” are as follows:

1.December 13, 2011 - Chase Bank branch, 1700 North Wells

2.December 20, 2011 - North Community Bank branch, 2335 North Clark
3.December 22, 2011 - PNC Bank branch, 4440 North Broadway
4.December 30, 2011 - Chase Bank branch, 1350 North Wells
5.January 6, 2012 - North Community Bank branch, 1555 N. Damen
6.January 6, 2012 - North Community Bank branch, 1600 West Chicago Avenue
7.January 9, 2012 - Chase Bank branch, 1200 North State Parkway
8.January 21, 2012 - Chase Bank branch, 71 West Chicago Avenue
9.January 28, 2012  - Chase Bank branch, 3531 North Western Avenue. 

During all of the robberies, witnesses said that a lone robber entered the bank and approached a teller with a handwritten note asking for cash. He did not show any weapons or make any threats during the robberies and no injuries were reported in any of these incidents.

HARRIS appeared before Magistrate Judge Maria Valdez, earlier today, at which time he was formally charged.  HARRIS was ordered held without bond, pending his next scheduled court appearance. If convicted of the charge filed against him, HARRIS faces a possible sentence of up to 20 years in prison.

This case was investigated by the Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force (VCTF), which is comprised of FBI special agents, detectives from the Chicago Police Department, and investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Police.

Additional information about this and other Chicago area bank robberies, including downloadable photographs, is available online at the Bandit Tracker Chicago website, www.bandittrackerchicago.com.

The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Copies of the criminal complaint are available from the Chicago FBI’s press office at (312) 829-1199.

Seeking Information on Unknown Serial Bank Robber

The Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force is asking for the public’s help in identifying the individual depicted below. She is believed responsible for the January 5, 2012 armed robbery of the Charter One Bank branch, 2854 W. Cermak, Chicago, IL, and the attempted robbery of a Fifth Third Bank branch, 2710 N. Narragansett, IL, also on January 5, 2012.

The individual is further described as follows:

Race/Sex: Hispanic/Female

Age: 20-25
Hair: Black or brown
Height: 5’2” to 5’3”
Clothing: Winter jacket, winter hat, and eyeglasses

Anyone with information is asked to call the Chicago FBI office at (312) 421-6700, or your local FBI office or law enforcement agency.

The Chicago FBI’s Violent Crimes Task Force is comprised of FBI special agents, detectives from the Chicago Police Department, and investigators from the Cook County Sheriff’s Office.

Additional information about this and other unsolved Chicago area bank robberies is available online at the Bandit Tracker Chicago website Bandittrackerchicago.com.