A career felon who’s on parole for burglarizing a West Loop apartment building mailroom in 2017 is in custody, charged with burglary again after he was found in the secure area of another West Loop building last week.
Since 1989, judges have sentenced Sharif Abdul-Raheem to a combined 89 years in prison for eight burglaries, a home invasion, and an armed robbery.
Police arrested Raheem, also known as Craig Walker, at 3 o’clock on Oct. 23 after a condo manager allegedly found him in an area behind two security doors on the 1200 block of West Van Buren. Police said Raheem was carrying four pairs of socks, two pairs of pants, and eleven different “baby items.”
Raheem, who lives in Elgin, was released from prison in January after serving less than half of a four-year sentence that he received for burglarizing another West Loop apartment building’s mailroom in 2017. When police arrested him inside Union Station after that break-in, Raheem was carrying two pairs of women’s shoes and three pieces of lingerie, according to police.
State prison records show the 55-year-old has been sentenced to a combined 89 years in prison throughout his criminal career.
In 2008, he picked up a 15-year sentence for burglarizing a home in Little Italy.
He received a 12-year sentence for the May 24, 2002, armed robbery of a homeowner on the 400 block of West Barry. A judge ordered him to serve a concurrent 12-year term for the armed robbery of another homeowner on the 700 block of West Bittersweet four days later.
His other prison terms include nine years for burglary in 1998; ten years for armed robbery in 1993; a concurrent 10 years for home invasion in 1993; five years for burglary in 1990; six years for burglary in 1989; and a concurrent six year burglary term the same year.
Judge John Lyke last week set bail at $100,000 and ordered Raheem to go onto electronic monitoring if he can post the required 10% deposit bond. Raheem’s due back in court tomorrow.
