A Chicago man, Andrew Anania, has been convicted by a federal jury on multiple charges including kidnapping, carjacking, and firearm offenses. The verdict was reached after a two-week trial in federal court in Chicago.
Anania, aged 29, was found guilty of two counts of kidnapping, one count of carjacking, and one count of using a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. The conviction carries a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years in federal prison and could extend to life imprisonment. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang has scheduled the sentencing for May 13, 2025.
The trial evidence showed that Anania kidnapped an Uber driver on March 8, 2021, in Darien, Illinois. He used a gun to force the driver to take him to Chicago where he sexually assaulted her before escaping on foot. Two days later, Anania and Walter Moran kidnapped another woman heading to work in Cicero, Illinois. Anania drove the victim's car with Moran and engaged in gunfire exchange before releasing the victim and taking her vehicle.
Anania had previously pleaded guilty to another incident involving kidnapping and carjacking on February 27, 2021. During this event in Chicago, he claimed to have a gun and sexually assaulted the driver who managed to escape at an intersection.
These crimes were committed while Anania was awaiting trial for a separate federal firearm case for which he had been released on bond after a detention motion by the government was denied.
Walter Moran has also pleaded guilty last year to related charges of kidnapping and carjacking. His sentencing is set for March 18, 2025.
The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Douglas S. DePodesta from the FBI's Chicago Field Office; along with support from various local police departments including those from Cicero and Darien as well as the U.S. Marshals Service and Cook County Sheriff's Office. The prosecution team includes Assistant U.S. Attorneys Cornelius Vandenberg, Megan Donohue, and Hayley Altabef.