Des Plaines man pleads guilty to stealing cash from man who set up massage
A Des Plaines man pleaded guilty Monday to his involvement in a theft last June outside a Rolling Meadows motel and was sentenced to probation.
Romaine Bennett, 23, was sentenced to two years of "second-chance" probation, which is an option for defendants who plead guilty to certain nonviolent crimes including theft and drug possession.
Bennett must complete 30 hours of community service and pay $709 in fines as part of the negotiated plea. If he completes the requirements and is not charged with any other crimes, his charges will be dismissed after two years, prosecutors said.
Bennett's co-defendant, Deborah Ayorinde, 20, of Palatine, pleaded guilty to two counts of robbery last December and was sentenced to four years in prison. She was also ordered to pay $714 in fines.
Prosecutors say Ayorinde and Bennett arranged through an online classified site to meet a man at a motel for a massage. Ayorinde asked the man if he would like her to perform a sex act. The man declined but Ayorinde demanded $200 from him. She and the man struggled over the money while Bennett grabbed the man's shirt, prosecutors said during the couple's bond hearing.
The couple fled the scene with the $200 but were stopped a short time later, prosecutors said.