Chicago man pleads guilty to Wheeling home invasion
One of two men charged with kicking in the door of a Wheeling man's home, holding him at gunpoint and stealing his sports memorabilia was sentenced to nine years in prison Monday.
Martrell Robinson, 20, pleaded guilty to home invasion. In exchange for that guilty plea, Cook County Judge Thomas Fecarotta sentenced the Chicago man to prison and ordered him to pay $694 in fines.
Co-defendant Steven Chung, 27, of Des Plaines, did not appear in court Monday, according to court records, prompting Fecarotta to issue a bond forfeiture warrant.
Prosecutors alllege Chung and Robinson kicked in the door to the victim's home on Aug. 27, 2014. They threatened him, bound his hands and feet with electrical tape and held him at gunpoint in an attempt to get him to reveal the combination to his safe, prosecutors said.
After several failed attempts, they opened the safe and removed sports cards, including some depicting Michael Jordan and Yasiel Puig, worth thousands of dollars, prosecutors said. Within days, authorities said, the items appeared on eBay. Additionally, owners of sports memorabilia stores in Indianapolis and Lima, Ohio, identified Chung - who has criminal convictions for robbery and property damage - as the man who sold them the cards, prosecutors say.
Robinson will receive credit for 284 days he has already spent in custody. He must complete at least 85 percent of his sentence before he is eligible for parole.