Officer takes the stand

CBP Officer Luis Uribe told jurors he had paid sex with women but denied sexually assaulting anyone during a series of encounters in 2022.

“never raped anybody”

A jarring answer

When asked if he used work fitness time to leave for one alleged attack, Uribe told the courtroom he still got a workout in.

“I still got a good workout in.”

Prosecutor presses him

Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Shih challenged the comment, asking if Uribe was describing rape as exercise. Uribe answered that the encounter was consensual.

“It wasn’t a rape”

Trial nears decision

Uribe testified for a little over an hour at the Dirksen Federal Courthouse. Both sides have rested, with closings and jury deliberations next.

A threat claim

Uribe told jurors a woman tied to a Chinese prostitution ring threatened him after he refused to help with immigration matters.

“it’s going to be bad for you”

Six alleged attacks

Prosecutors accuse Uribe of six attacks in Schaumburg and Naperville between February and October 2022, while he was assigned to O’Hare Airport.

Federal charges

He faces 10 counts of depriving people of civil rights under color of law and one count of brandishing a firearm during a violent crime.

Defense says no proof

Defense attorney Michael Clancy told jurors last week that prosecutors lack evidence Uribe robbed and raped four women.

Consent defense

Uribe said his encounters with sex workers were consensual. He told jurors that no meant no, stop meant stop, and he had never hit a woman.

“no means no”

Weapons left behind

Uribe testified that when he planned to meet a prostitute after work, he left his handcuffs, baton, knife, and gun behind.

“I never threatened to shoot anybody”

Memory gaps emerge

Pressed on whether he had sex with specific alleged victims, Uribe said he could not recall each instance but believed he did because he paid for sex.

“I paid for sex. So my belief is, I did.”

Immigration job exposed

Uribe said one woman learned after their first encounter that he worked in immigration enforcement, then repeatedly asked him for help.

“like she hit the jackpot or something”

Buffet meeting described

He said he met that woman at a Hoffman Estates seafood buffet, where she had him speak by video app with her boss in China.

Boss wanted entry

According to Uribe, the boss asked how she could enter the United States and bring more women from China, which he tied to pandemic travel limits.

“how she could come into the U.S.”

Victims' vulnerability raised

Shih noted that all alleged victims were Chinese, did not speak fluent English, and had ties to illegal activity, making them less likely to be believed.

“That’s why you preyed on them?”

Uribe denies targeting

Uribe pushed back on the prosecutor's theory that he chose women who would struggle to report him or be believed.

“I didn’t prey on nobody.”