A Venezuelan man was sentenced to five years in prison Thursday for robbing an 85-year-old woman in the Gold Coast, stealing a necklace from another woman in the Loop, and burglarizing a man’s pickup truck in Boystown, according to court records. But he took time to tell the judge that he is a “political prisoner” back home.
Ignacio Linares-Rodriguez, 41, pleaded guilty to robbery of a victim older than 60, robbery and burglary. Judge Timothy Joyce sentenced him to five years on each count, with the sentences to run concurrently.
The crime spree began around 7 a.m. on July 25, 2025, when Linares-Rodriguez allegedly followed the 85-year-old woman into her apartment building in the 100 block of West Oak Street. Once inside, prosecutors said, he tore a bracelet from her wrist and tried to take her necklace and ring. When the ring would not come off, he allegedly bit her left ring finger in an attempt to remove it. The woman resisted, and Linares-Rodriguez fled, according to prosecutors.
Three days later, Linares-Rodriguez rode a Divvy bike through the Loop and approached a woman who was walking to work in the 200 block of North LaSalle Street. Prosecutors said he ripped a gold chain from her neck and rode away.
Then, on August 9, Linares-Rodriguez climbed into a pickup truck in the 3700 block of North Halsted Street while the owner was asleep inside. According to prosecutors, Linares-Rodriguez used the man’s cellphone to make several calls. When the victim woke up, Linares-Rodriguez fled with the device.
Later that day, police monitoring surveillance cameras downtown spotted Linares-Rodriguez walking into a pawn shop in the 400 block of South Clark Street and recognized him, according to a CPD report. Officers were dispatched to the shop and arrested him. Police said he was carrying the Boystown victim’s phone when they arrested him.
Linares-Rodriguez addressed the court before sentencing and said he understood that he could eventually be deported to Venezuela, but he told Joyce that he considers himself a “political prisoner” in Venezuela and believes his life would be in danger if he is returned there.
The case also has potential immigration consequences, though. In the United States, a sentence of five years or more automatically eliminates the possibility of having removal proceedings blocked, according to Immigration Equality.
While the five-year sentence stands, Linares-Rodriguez will only have to serve half of that time under Illinois law. He also earned 383 days of credit while in the Cook County Jail.
