Prosecutors say a 33-year-old woman used a fabricated story about her child needing insulin to lure victims into her vehicle and take hundreds of dollars on the North Side, including one encounter that escalated into a physical struggle in which her 12-year-old daughter joined in by punching the victim.
According to a detention filing, the first robbery occurred about 12:45 p.m. on December 2 in the 3800 block of West Belmont Avenue. The victim was walking north on Kedzie Avenue when he stopped next to a white Jeep Compass with Gilda Cranberry Miller in the front passenger seat. A man was driving the SUV and Miller’s 12-year-old daughter was in the back seat, prosecutors said.
Miller allegedly rolled down the window and asked the victim for money, claiming she needed to buy insulin for her daughter. When the victim said he did not have any cash, prosecutors said, Miller offered to take him to a bank to make a withdrawal. Before getting into the vehicle, the victim took photos of the Jeep’s license plate and Miller’s driver’s license.
The driver took the group to a nearby PNC Bank, where the victim withdrew $500 from a drive-through ATM and handed the money to Miller. Prosecutors say Miller then asked for more money. When the victim declined and asked for the original $500 back, the driver took them to a nearby convenience store.
Video allegedly showed Miller ordering the victim to get out of the Jeep at the convenience store. Miller and the driver got out of the SUV, opened the rear passenger door, and grabbed the victim by his arms and legs and tried to physically pull him out of the vehicle, prosecutors said. During the struggle, Miller’s 12-year-old daughter began punching the victim in the head, but the victim managed to remain inside the vehicle, according to the allegations.
Prosecutors said Miller and the driver returned to the front seats and drove off with the rear passenger door still open. The Jeep eventually pulled over again, at which point Miller gave the victim $120 back and claimed that was all of the money left, prosecutors said. The victim got out, and the vehicle drove away.
The victim reported the incident to police and provided the photos he had taken of the license plate and Miller’s driver’s license. He later identified Miller in a photo lineup.
Two days later, Miller allegedly used the same ruse to take $240 from a woman in the 4400 block of North Pulaski Road.
A Skokie detective who received a bulletin about the crime recognized Miller, and a CPD detective assigned to the case later found Miller and her daughter standing outside the Jeep on the Northwest side. Backup officers arrived and arrested Miller.
According to a detention filing, Miller told detectives that no one in her family has diabetes and that she has used the ruse about her daughter needing insulin to steal money “several times” from other victims.
Judge John Hock ordered Miller detained. She is charged with robbery and theft by deception.
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