A man who prosecutors said was a street gang member has been sentenced to probation after he was found with a loaded AK-47-style gun when cops stopped an Uber in Mundelein.
Joel Infante, 20, of Mundelein, was charged in December with three counts of aggravated unlawful use of a weapon, consumption of liquor by a minor and illegal possession of ammunition.
The Mundelein Police Department conducted a traffic stop on an Uber around 2 a.m. on December 15 for the vehicle having suspended registration.
Lake County Assistant State’s Attorney Michael Theis said Infante was in the backseat of the vehicle.
Officers recognized Infante because he is a known Latin King street gang member who was arrested earlier in the year, Theis said.
A backpack was in between Infante’s feet. Infante denied it was his backpack and the Uber driver also denied it was his.
Theis said police felt a hard object in the backpack and recovered a Mini Draco 7.62 AK-47 style handgun.
The gun was loaded with a 30-round extended magazine. Infante was arrested and admitted the gun was his, Theis said.
The Uber driver also told officers that Infante got into the car with the backpack.
Infante was on pre-trial release at the time after being charged with illegal possession of ammunition and disorderly conduct for an incident in Mundelein on August 11.
Theis said Infante also has a juvenile adjudication for illegally possessing a gun in 2022. He received probation, public service and counseling for his sentence in that case.
“The least restrictive conditions have been tried and failed because this defendant does not comply with them,” Theis said, arguing for Infante to be detained in jail pending trial, during a detention hearing in December.
Lake County Judge Michael Nerheim granted a petition to detain Infante after agreeing with prosecutors that there were no conditions of release to ensure the community’s safety.
Court records show Infante entered into a negotiated plea deal with the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office last month.
He pleaded guilty to one count of aggravated unlawful possession of a weapon, a Class 4 felony, in exchange for 24 months of probation.
A 180-day sentence was nearly considered served with 87 days of credit spent in custody and day-for-day credit to apply.
Infante was also ordered not to possess weapons, not consume illegal drugs or alcohol and maintain employment.
Court records show the illegal possession of ammunition case that Infante was on pre-trial release for when he was arrested in the gun case was dismissed following the plea deal.