Prison for man who used fake bomb in Waukegan robbery

An Antioch Township man who robbed a Waukegan currency exchange with a fake bomb was sentenced to 3½ years in prison Tuesday.

Alonzo Almanza-Guzman, 39, pleaded guilty to robbery during a court hearing in July.

Lake County Assistant State's Attorney George Pappas said Almanza-Guzman, of the 26000 block of Sherman Avenue, robbed the Casa De Cambio Latino at 1550 Grand Ave. on March 13.

He entered the shop carrying an 8-inch pipe that had been capped on both ends, and a cell phone he said was a detonator. Almanza-Guzman told the clerk he would blow up the building if he was not given money. He fled with about $800.

The Waukegan Fire Department Bomb Squad was called in to examine the device and determined it was a fake.

Police used video surveillance recordings from outside the store to identify Almanza-Guzman's car, and he was arrested at his home two days after the crime.

Robbery normally carries a prison sentence of three to seven years, and is also probationable, but Almanza-Guzman's plea agreement set his maximum sentence at five years.