Chicago man gets 24 years in Villa Park robbery

A Chicago man was sentenced Thursday to 24 years in prison for his role in a Villa Park home invasion in which three people were tied up and robbed.

Darwin Amador-Velasquez, 30, of Chicago, was one of four men charged in the Feb. 12, 2013, crime that unfolded after one of the victims arranged to meet a prostitute at his home.

Prosecutors said the victim who arranged the meeting was met by Amador-Velasquez and three other men and a woman when he answered his door on the 700 block of West Roy Drive.

The group held him at gunpoint, put a pillowcase over his head, bound him with strings from a set of blinds, and took his bank cards.

Assistant State's Attorney Robert Stanker said in court that Amador-Velasquez was armed with a loaded 9 mm handgun that he used to intimidate the victim but never fired.

Stanker said Amador-Velasquez stayed at the victim's residence while his co-defendants withdrew about $500 from the victim's accounts and attempted to use his cards at Walmart and a nearby gas station.

When they returned, Amador-Velasquez and another co-defendant had tied up two other victims who showed up at the home in the meantime.

The men then took those victims' bank cards and made more withdrawals, Stanker said.

None of the victims was seriously injured.

Amador-Velasquez and three co-defendants were arrested after police used a gas station surveillance video to locate a white Nissan used in the home invasion.

Authorities found the 9 mm handgun on the vehicle's rear seat, Stanker said,

Amador-Velasquez faced an extended term of 21 to 45 years in prison because a handgun was involved. He pleaded guilty Thursday and was sentenced under a plea agreement accepted by DuPage County Judge John Kinsella.

In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped related charges of aggravated kidnapping and armed robbery

Co-defendants Frederico Garcia, 27 and Sabas Torres, 27, both of Chicago, have pleaded not guilty and remain jailed while their cases are pending. Jaime Aguirre, 23, of Highland Park, was sentenced in October to 22 years in prison after accepting a similar deal.

By law, Amador-Velasquez, a native of Honduras, must serve at least 12 years before he is eligible for three years of parole. He received credit for the one year he already has been in custody.