A Beach Park resident is facing life in federal prison for conspiring with a Chicago man and others to abduct victims at gunpoint in the Chicagoland area, authorities said.
Tai Hon La, 34, of Beach Park, and Sedgwick Williams, 47, of Chicago, conspired with each other and others to carry out abductions in the fall of 2019 in Naperville, South Holland and Westchester, FBI officials said in a news release Friday.
Williams and La attempted a kidnapping together in South Holland in December 2019, while Williams participated with others in kidnappings in Naperville and Westchester between October and November in 2019.
La was also convicted of illegal firearm possession during the two week trial that ended May 22, authorities said.
According to the evidence presented at trial, Williams and La attempted the South Holland kidnapping Dec. 11, 2019, but were unsuccessful because the intended victim called 911.
Officials said the South Holland Police arrived on scene before La and Williams were able to gain access to the victim and were both arrested fleeing the house.
Williams was also convicted on individual abductions in Naperville and Westchester where he falsely impersonated federal law enforcement officers.
Sentencings for the two men have not yet been scheduled.
The case was investigated with the assistance of the Naperville Police Department, Westchester Police Department, South Holland Police Department, Chicago Police Department, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office.
Two other defendants charged in the case pleaded guilty prior to trial.