Waukegan man sentenced to 19 years for River North, Loop armed robberies
Sep 01, 2026
A man was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison for shooting at a security guard while robbing a bank in the Loop and another in River North three years ago, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Northern District of Illinois.Jawad Hakeem, a 51-year-old Waukegan resident, pleaded guilt
y to firearm and robbery charges earlier this year, the office said. He was sentenced to 19 years in federal prison last week.On March 3, 2023, Hakeem brandished a gun while robbing a Chase location in River North, prosecutors said. Six days later, he robbed a Fifth Third bank in the Loop.On March 9, 2023, Hakeem read employees’ name tags while threatening to kill them unless they gave him $100,000, prosecutors previously said. He grabbed bags full of nearly $24,000 in cash before exchanging gunfire with a security guard. No one was struck or injured.He was arrested four days later in Waukegan, after investigators tracked him down with details from an encounter he had with a woman where he told her he was a “sugar daddy” and that he was running for president in 2024, prosecutors said. He gave the woman his phone number, claiming it was “special” and given to him by T-Mobile.He later left behind the gun and the gloves from the robbery, along with other items, when he skipped on Woodlawn motel bill.
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