‘I never raped anybody in my whole life’: Customs and Border agent takes stand in federal trial

A U.S. Customs and Border Protection agent made the risky move Tuesday of taking the witness stand in his own rape trial, where he repeatedly denied sexually assaulting or robbing Chinese sex workers and said they threatened to frame him after he refused to help with immigration issues.

Luis Uribe, 45, is on trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse on a federal indictment charging him with 10 counts of deprivation of rights under color of law, and one count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence. He faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Over the past week, the jury has heard from the four alleged victims, all of whom identified Uribe as the “fake police” or the “bad man” who assaulted them in hotel rooms in 2022, using his gun and badge to force sex and take their money.

But Uribe tried to flip the script in his testimony, saying that all of the encounters were consensual, insisting that even though he visited prostitutes, he was raised to treat women with respect.

“My mom, she actually had the old birds and bees conversation with me,” Uribe said early in his direct examination. “You respect women, stop when they say stop, no means no, don’t force them … I never raped anybody in my whole life. I never robbed anybody in my whole life.”

Uribe’s proclaimed esteem for women seemed shakier on cross-examination, however, particularly when Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shih asked him about one encounter where he left work early purportedly to hit the gym, but went instead to a hotel to meet with a prostitute who went by “Tina.”

You never went to the gym, did you? Shih asked.

“I got a good workout in,” Uribe responded.

Shih immediately shouted back: “You’re describing the rape of Tina as a good workout?”

“It wasn’t a rape, it was consensual sex,” Uribe said.

Prosecutors told the jury of six men and six women in opening statements last week that Uribe, a veteran agent stationed at O’Hare International Airport, “perverted” his duty to serve and protect, going from investigating crimes to committing them.

But Uribe’s attorneys have said that while Uribe is a weak and “flawed” man who indeed visited prostitutes, the alleged victims were liars who had sought his help with immigration issues before setting him up.

Closing arguments in the trial, which began Sept. 8, are expected Wednesday.

Uribe’s decision to testify in his own defense is a rare roll of the dice in federal court. Dressed in a maroon collared shirt, Uribe, who has been in custody since December, hobbled up to the witness stand on crutches before the jury was brought back into the courtroom. He appeared to nod at several family members in the courtroom gallery, then stared straight ahead.

When his testimony began, he smiled and looked directly at the panel, saying “Good afternoon, my name is Luis Uribe.”

Under direct questioning by his attorney, William Stanton, Uribe spoke in a rapid-fire manner and seemed rehearsed, telling the jury he was born in Cicero and “raised by two loving parents.” He said he served in the U.S. Marines and also the Border Patrol before becoming a customs enforcement officer stationed at O’Hare.

Uribe testified he began seeing prostitutes in about 2019. In 2021, he started seeing one of the women, “Lisa,” and had paid sex with her more than 10 times. The first time they were together, his wallet fell out of his pocket and she saw his work ID, revealing he was “immigration police,” he said.

“You could see her face lit up, big old smile,” Uribe testified. “Like she hit the jackpot or something.”

Uribe said Lisa almost immediately began asking him to help her with her “immigration problem,” which included an expired work visa. He said he looked at her paperwork and gave her some information about free legal services, but did not specifically help.

“I told her ‘Don’t worry, this is Chicago you’re not gonna get deported,'” he said.

Over time, he said, Lisa grew attached to him and began to ask him to bring her items, such as a toothbrush, fruit, or food from McDonalds. But she continuously asked for help with immigration issues, he said, both for herself and other girls she supervised.

At a March 2022 lunch meeting with Lisa and her friend at a seafood buffet in Hoffman Estates, Uribe said he was offered a bribe by Lisa’s boss in China, who joined them in a video chat. In exchange for helping with immigration problems and getting more girls into the U.S., he would be paid $7,000 “plus free sex,” Uribe testified.

Prosecutors alleged the offer was actually free sex if Uribe stopped attacking women. Lisa testified on Monday that while at the meeting, one of her friends snapped a photo of Uribe that was sent around as a warning of the attacks. She also told the jury he never denied participating in the attacks, and that he cashed in on the offer almost immediately after the lunch ended.

“He followed us back to the hotel and he had sex with the other two women,” Lisa testified.

“And did he pay for it?” Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard Rothblatt asked.

“No, it’s free,” Lisa said.

Uribe testified Tuesday that he knew Lisa’s friend had taken his photo and wasn’t concerned about it. But the threats against him escalated later that year, when Lisa, who he said often “got jealous” when he was with other women, learned he’d had sex with one of the other girls she oversaw, he said.

“She said ‘I know you just seen one of my sisters,'” Uribe testified. “‘If you don’t help me with all my immigration issues, help my boss, it’s gonna be bad for you. I suggest you help me. If you don’t, I’m going to tell my sisters to testify against you saying you hurt them.'”

Uribe said he still refused to give any help and cut things off with Lisa — though he continued to visit with prostitutes in the same general operation.

On cross-examination, Shih asked Uribe repeatedly about how he kept his penchant for prostitutes hidden, lying about it to both his wife and co-workers and installing and deleting encrypted texting apps to uphold his image of an upstanding law enforcement officer.

“I’m not proud of visiting these prostitutes but I did it, yes,” Uribe answered at one point.

“OK, I wasn’t asking if you were proud,” Shih said. “You were hiding your true self to all those people, just like you’re hiding your true self to this jury, right?”

Uribe paused and said, “Uh, no.”

Shih also questioned why he continued to visit with prostitutes after being threatened and said nothing about the alleged blackmail to the FBI when agents knocked on his door in 2023. Near the end of the cross-examination, Shih asked Uribe whether he knew it would be more difficult for the victims he chose to report him because they’re sex workers who are in the country illegally.

“That’s why you preyed on them right?” Shih asked.

“How did I prey on them?” Uribe shot back. “I didn’t prey on nobody, sir.”

Before Uribe took the stand, prosecutors wrapped up their case in chief by calling FBI Special Agent Leah Roth, who took the jury through her many interviews with the alleged victims in the case as well as her initial confrontation with Uribe after Schaumburg police had passed information from its investigation into one of the assaults to the feds.

In a brief audio recording of the interview that was played for the jury, agents could be heard asking Uribe about the photo of him at the lunch meeting and where it was taken.

“At our restaurant … it’s an Asian buffet, all you can eat,” Uribe told the agents.

Who were you there with? an agent asked.

“Ahhh, some girl,” Uribe said.