From the U.S. Attorney:
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Man for Allegedly Attempting to Extort Money from Chicago Restaurateur
CHICAGO — A federal grand jury has indicted a man for allegedly threatening and assaulting a Chicago restaurateur to collect a debt the man claimed he was owed.
An indictment returned Monday in U.S. District Court in Chicago charges JAWAD FAKROUNE, also known as “Angelino Escobar” or “Anjelino Escobar,” 45, of Morocco, with extortion. Arraignment is scheduled for Feb. 5, 2025, at 10:30 a.m., before U.S. District Judge Manish S. Shah.
In 2023 and 2024, Fakroune privately loaned approximately $405,000 to the restaurateur to start a new restaurant in the Lincoln Park neighborhood of Chicago, according to a criminal complaint previously filed in the case.
The restaurateur repaid a portion of the loan, but in November 2024 Fakroune and the restaurateur engaged in a dispute regarding the amount of money still owed, the complaint states.
On the evening of Nov. 25, 2024, Fakroune went to the restaurant, threatened the restaurateur over the manner and nature of the repayments, and claimed that $1.5 million was still owed, the complaint states.
Fakroune then choked, kicked, and punched the restaurateur, while continuing to demand money and threatening the restaurateur’s life and the lives of his family members, the complaint states.
The indictment was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Ramsey E. Covington, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge of IRS Criminal Investigation Chicago Field Office. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sean Hennessy and Richard M. Rothblatt.
The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
