A federal jury in Chicago has found Andrew Anania guilty of several criminal charges, including kidnapping, carjacking, and firearm offenses. The verdict was delivered after a two-week trial. Anania, 29, faces a mandatory minimum sentence of seven years and could receive up to life in prison. U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang scheduled the sentencing for May 13, 2025.
The trial revealed that on March 8, 2021, Anania kidnapped an Uber driver in Darien, Illinois. He threatened her with a gun and forced her to drive to Chicago where he sexually assaulted her before escaping on foot. Two days later, Anania and Walter Moran kidnapped another woman in Cicero, Illinois. They drove the victim to Chicago where Moran exchanged gunfire with others before releasing the victim and taking her car.
Anania had previously pleaded guilty to another kidnapping and carjacking incident on February 27, 2021. In this case, he claimed to have a gun and sexually assaulted the driver before she managed to escape at an intersection.
At the time of these crimes, Anania was awaiting trial in a separate federal firearm case but had been released on bond despite government efforts for detention.
Walter Moran has already pleaded guilty to related charges and is set for sentencing on March 18, 2025.
The convictions were announced by Morris Pasqual from the Northern District of Illinois U.S Attorney's Office and Douglas S. DePodesta from the FBI's Chicago Field Office. Multiple law enforcement agencies contributed significantly to this case.
