April 18--Saul Rodriguez was a one-man crime wave, ordering the killings of at least three men, kidnapping nearly 30 drug dealers to steal their cash and narcotics, and trafficking in thousands of kilograms of cocaine, federal prosecutors say.
Rodriguez even had his best friend, Juan Luevano, murdered after he began dating Rodriguez's ex-girlfriend and then showed up at the funeral acting like a mourner, prosecutors alleged.
At Rodriguez's long-awaited sentencing hearing Friday, Luevano's sister, Angelica, let Rodriguez know she realized his duplicity the day of the funeral.
"How could you, Saul?" she said in court.
Rodriguez, 39, who ended up cooperating with federal authorities and helped win the conviction of a corrupt Chicago cop, was sentenced to 40 years in prison.
The former officer, Glenn Lewellen, joined forces with Rodriguez to rip off other drug dealers, pulling off eight robberies and kidnappings together between 1998 and 2006. For nearly five years, Lewellen also claimed Rodriguez as an informant, enabling him to be paid more than $800,000 by the department. Lewellen was sentenced in 2013 to 18 years in prison.
Rodriguez and his lawyer, claiming he was a changed man, sought a sentence of 30 years in prison in return for his cooperation with law enforcement.
"I know that I've caused so much pain and sorrow. Thinking of everything I have done fills me with self-hate," Rodriguez told U.S. District Court Judge Joan Gottschall, bursting into tears. "I take full responsibility for what I have done, as well as what I have failed to do."
About 20 of his family and friends, many also weeping, listened in the courtroom as Rodriguez spoke.
Even before Rodriguez's arrest, his lawyer, James Graham, said he had another side, buying basketball hoops for schools and turkeys for those who didn't have Thanksgiving dinner.
But Assistant U.S. Attorney Steven Block, who prosecuted the case, balked at their reasoning and noted Rodriguez engaged in misconduct even after his arrest, including sneaking a cellphone into jail and lying to a grand jury.
"In some cases turkeys and basketball nets might be a big deal," Block said. "They're not here."
Judge Gottschall said she believed Rodriguez was sincere in his repentance but said it would minimize the impact of his wrongdoing to impose anything less than the 40-year sentence.
Luevano's sister wasn't the only relative of a victim to speak out at the hearing.
Paul Garcia testified how on his birthday nearly 14 years ago he last saw his brother, Michael Garcia.
"He told me he'd be right back," Garcia said.
Minutes later, he learned from police that his brother had been shot in front of his house. Prosecutors said Rodriguez ordered that shooting because an associate blamed Garcia for the murder of his brother.
"That changed everything for me and my family," Garcia said.
Prosecutors said real estate developer Jimmy Lopez was kidnapped in a plot orchestrated by Rodriguez. A letter written by Lopez -- read aloud in court by his cousin -- recounted the 12 hours he spent with his mouth taped shut, a bag over his head and his hands tied.
Lopez told his kidnappers to call Rodriguez, not realizing he was responsible for his abduction, prosecutors said. Rodriguez led Lopez to think he would get him the ransom money, according to testimony. Over time, Lopez wrote, he paid Rodriguez $800,000, not knowing he was being victimized all over again.
kthayer@tribpub.com
