Man can shorten prison term if he shows up at court

If he shows up in court Feb. 14, Cesar Figueroa can save 12 years on his prison sentence.

Figueroa, 46, pleaded guilty Friday to possession of more than 81 pounds of cocaine and $22,500 in cash seized by authorities because it is profit from a drug ring.

Under the terms of his plea agreement negotiated by Lake County Assistant State's Attorney Scott Hoffert and Waukegan attorney Daniel Zeit, Figueroa was sentenced to 24 years in prison.

But Figueroa will remain free on bond until his Feb. 14 surrender date so he can put his personal affairs in order. To induce him to return and begin his prison term, Hoffert agreed to reduce the sentence to 12 years behind bars if Figueroa is back in court on that date.

Figueroa was one of four men arrested early this year by Lake County sheriff's deputies and agents of the federal Drug Enforcement Administration.

In a series of actions on Jan. 29 and Jan. 30, officials confiscated 136 pounds of cocaine worth nearly $2 million, guns and the cash taken from Figueroa.

On Jan. 31, a sheriff's deputy stopped a van driven by Pedro Valdovinos, 20, of Bolingbrook on the Tri-State Tollway.

A little more than 33 pounds of cocaine was found in a hidden compartment in the vehicle, and Valdovinos refused to answer police questions after his arrest.

Police used information gathered from that arrest to serve search warrants the following night at Lake Villa Township houses on the 40000 block of Route 45 and the 37000 block of Sterns School Road.

Some marijuana and two pistols and a rifle were confiscated at the Route 45 address, and 81 pounds of cocaine and the cash were found at the Sterns School Road house.

Figueroa and Hector Velez-Rodriguez, 31, both of whom claimed to live at the Sterns School house, were taken into custody there.

A short time after the raids on the houses, a deputy stopped a car driven by Rigoberto Duran-Aguilar, 28, of Glendale Heights and confiscated another 22 pounds of cocaine, authorities said. Police also arrested a passenger, Jose Torres, 29, of Rockford,

All four men posted bonds of $10,000 to $25,000 shortly after their arrests.

Valdovinos pleaded guilty to possession of cocaine and was sentenced to nine years in prison Oct. 11.

Arrest warrants were issued March 17 for Velez-Rodriguez and May 20 for Torres after they failed to appear in court.

Duran-Aguilar was taken into custody by officials of the Department of Homeland Security and deported to Mexico on July 8, but the criminal charges against him remain outstanding.

Hoffert said all four could have been sentenced to up to 45 years in prison if convicted after a trial.