A former Buffalo Grove school teacher, who is a Vernon Hills resident and was wanted for sexually assaulting a child, was arrested by federal agents as he tried to flee the country.
Ilan Gibori, 46, of Vernon Hills, was wanted on an arrest warrant for three counts of criminal sexual assault of a juvenile.
Gibori was arrested Thursday by the Department of Homeland Security at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport while allegedly attempting to evade his arrest warrant, the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said.
The Vernon Hills Police Department received information from the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) on Wednesday that Gibori had sexually assaulted a minor victim.
A preliminary investigation determined Gibori met the victim while he was a teacher at Cooper Middle School in Buffalo Grove in 2017, prosecutors said.
The assaults occurred on numerous occasions over a period of several years.
Gibori left Cooper Middle School in July 2019 and has worked at The House Tutoring Lounge in Glencoe.
The Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office said they worked with the Vernon Hills Police Department to quickly obtain an arrest warrant for Gibori.
A state’s attorney’s investigator notified Homeland Security Investigations at O’Hare and Dallas-Fort Worth airports to locate and apprehend Gibori based on the warrant.
“Bringing this fleeing suspect to justice would not have happened without the incredible efforts and rapid response from our law enforcement partners — the Department of Children and Family Services, the Children’s Advocacy Center attorneys and staff, Homeland Security Investigations – O’Hare/Dallas Fort Worth, and State’s Attorney’s Office investigators,” Lake County State’s Attorney Eric Rinehart said.
“The people of Lake County are safer today because of their teamwork,” he added. Gibori is in custody in Texas awaiting extradition to Illinois.
“We are very troubled by these allegations but applaud the courage of the victim. Our investigators worked quickly with the Lake County State’s Attorney and the Department of Homeland Security to secure a warrant, locate and apprehend Gibori,” Vernon Hills Police Chief Patrick Kreis said.
The investigation is ongoing and prosecutors said they encourage parents whose children were students of Gibori to speak with them.
Anyone with information regarding the investigation is encouraged to contact the Vernon Hills Police Department Investigations Unit at 847-247-4891.