May 01--A Near West Side tanning salon owner is accused of criminal sexual assault -- the third time since 2009 that he's faced similar charges, prosecutors said.
Marc Winner, 45, owns Soleil Tanning Salon at 1018 West Madison Street in Chicago, and in court Saturday prosecutors said "every woman who walks into that salon is a potential victim."
During the hearing at the Leighton Criminal Court Building, Judge Adam Bourgeois Jr. ordered Winner, of the 300 block of South Western Avenue, held without bond on a criminal sexual assault charge that stems from an alleged incident on July 18, 2012.
On that July day, a woman went to Soleil Tanning Salon with friends, Cook County prosecutors said. After tanning, Winner invited the woman and her friends to his nearby apartment for drinks.
At the apartment, Winner offered the woman and her friends drugs and alcohol, prosecutors said. The woman accepted the drinks but not the drugs.
Later that evening, the woman's friends left, leaving her alone with Winner, prosecutors said.
Winner then shoved the woman onto his couch and forcefully removed her clothes, prosecutors said. The woman "continuously" told the defendant "no," but he "ignored her pleas'' and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
Winner drove the woman home the next morning and she immediately told a friend about the alleged attack, prosecutors said. The woman reported the incident to police six days later, prosecutors said.
In a separate, pending case, Winner also faces sexual assault and criminal abuse charges in connection with an alleged July 17, 2009 attack.
A woman was at a bar in the West loop with her friends that July, 2009 day when she saw Winner, who was her former boss at Soleil, prosecutors said.
Winner invited the woman and a friend back to his apartment later, and when the woman's friend left, Winner "became aggressive" and took her cell phone, prosecutors said.
The woman suggested they go to the tanning salon where she had hopes of calling for help, prosecutors said, but once inside, was unsuccessful calling 911.
While at the tanning salon, the woman got her cell phone back and tried again to call 911, and also made numerous calls and sent numerous texts to her sister telling her that she was about to be raped and to call 911, prosecutors said.
Phone records corroborate the victim's calls and texts for help, prosecutors said.
Winner snatched the cell phone back when he realized the woman was on her cell phone, prosecutors said.
He then forcefully brought her back to his apartment, where he threw her down on his bed, forcefully removed her clothing and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
After, Winner turned on the shower and the woman then ran out of the apartment barefoot to a nearby grocery store, where she called police and a sexual assault kit was processed, prosecutors said.
Swabs from the kit matched Winner's DNA, prosecutors said.
Additionally, Winner was charged with aggravated criminal sexual assault, aggravated kidnapping and aggravated battery for a third alleged incident from August of 2015. This case is also pending.
On August 21, 2015, Winner followed a woman who went to his salon to tan "and begged her to get a drink with him," prosecutors said.
The victim initially refused but eventually agreed because Winner was so persistent, prosecutors said.
At the bar, the two shared a few drinks and when she was leaving, Winner asked for a ride.
After the victim dropped Winner off, she got into a minor traffic accident. When the police arrived, Winner reappeared and intervened on her behalf, prosecutors said.
He then invited the woman back to his apartment. She did not want to go but "felt obligated" because he had just helped her avoid getting a traffic ticket, prosecutors said.
Inside the lobby, Winner took the victim's cell phone away from her, which was captured by surveillance footage, prosecutors said.
At the apartment, Winner picked up the victim and carried her into his bedroom against her will, forcefully removed her clothes and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
An hour later, the woman was able to escape the apartment and called her boyfriend for help. She was treated at Northwestern Memorial Hospital the next morning, where a sexual assault kit was performed, prosecutors said.
The woman suffered injuries from the attack which included "extensive bruising" to her body, prosecutors said.
Winner also was charged in 2001 with misdemeanor battery from an incident in June of 2001 in a north suburb.
On June 2, 2001, a woman went to a Glenview bar when she saw a friend sitting with Winner. The woman recognized Winner as the manager of a tanning salon she frequented.
The woman had a few drinks with the woman and Winner, prosecutors said.
Winner and the woman agreed to get something to eat at a local late night restaurant, but rather than drive the woman to the restaurant he drove her to his tanning salon, at 1760 Waukegan in Glenview, prosecutors said.
Winner invited the woman inside because she needed to use the bathroom and once inside, Winner kissed her, but she rebuffed his advances, prosecutors said.
The woman tried to leave the salon but Winner picked her up and threw her down onto a tanning bed, grabbed her around her throat and choked her. He then forcefully removed her clothing and sexually assaulted her, prosecutors said.
The woman reported the attack to police a few days later and Winner was charged with misdemeanor battery. He pleaded guilty to 2 years conditional discharge, prosecutors said.
Winner also has a 1999 drug conviction in his history, prosecutors said.
Reached for comment, Winner's attorney Steven J. Weinberg said Saturday evening they're "going to wait for our opportunity to try this case in the courtroom."
"We don't convict people based on the quantity or the number of witnesses. Courts convict people based on the quality of the evidence and during trial, you will see the evidence will come out in Mr. Winner's favor," Weinberg said.
