Chicago man convicted of multiple kidnappings, including assault on Uber driver, faces life in prison
CHICAGO - A Chicago man who kidnapped two drivers — one of them a rideshare driver — and sexually assaulted one of them at gunpoint in 2021 has been found guilty of multiple charges.
Following a two-week trial, a federal jury on Monday convicted 29-year-old Andrew Anania on all counts, including two counts of kidnapping, one count of carjacking, and one count of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The backstory:
During the trial, prosecutors revealed that on March 8, 2021, Anania entered an Uber and forced the female driver at gunpoint to drive to several alleys in Chicago, where he sexually assaulted her before fleeing on foot.
Just two days later, Anania and another man, Walter Moran, kidnapped a woman who was driving to work in Cicero. Prosecutors said Anania pointed a gun at the woman and drove her, along with Moran, to Chicago, where Moran exchanged gunfire with people on the street. The men eventually released the woman but fled with her car.
Before his trial, Anania pleaded guilty to another kidnapping and carjacking that occurred on February 27, 2021, in Chicago. In that incident, Anania entered a vehicle driven by a woman, claimed he had a gun, and sexually assaulted her. The woman managed to escape when the car stopped at an intersection. Anania fled in the vehicle but crashed it shortly afterward.
Anania committed all the crimes while out on bond in a separate federal firearm case. Prosecutors said prior to his release, they had argued for Anania to remain in custody while awaiting trial.
What's next:
Anania's sentencing is scheduled for May 13 before U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and a maximum of life.
Moran, 31, of Cicero, pleaded guilty last year to kidnapping and carjacking charges, and is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Chang on March 18.
The Source: The information in this article was provided in a statement Thursday from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois.