16 Years In Prison In Mall Guard Kidnapping Case

KANE COUNTY, IL — A 36-year-old man has been sentenced to 16 years in prison for the role he played in the kidnapping of a security guard at Spring Hill Mall in West Dundee in 2016.

Cesar Natali-Rodriguez, of the 36W block of Shady Lane in Dundee, pleaded guilty in March to two counts of armed robbery, aggravated kidnapping, armed violence, theft and aggravated unlawful restraint, according to a news release from the Kane County State's Attorney's Office.

• Man Who Abducted Mall Guard, Stole Cell Phones Pleads Guilty

Authorities say Natali-Rodriguez and his accomplice, who has not yet been identified, went into the mall early on Nov. 1, 2016, and waited for the mall guard. When they encountered him, they bound his hands with zip ties and covered his eyes with sunglasses that had duct tape over the lenses.

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The duo asked the guard for information about mall security videos, according to the news release. They then broke into the Cricket Wireless store and the T-Mobile kiosk and stole more than $10,000 worth of mobile telephones, according to prosecutors.

After, they took the guard to a secluded part of the mall, handcuffed him to a drainpipe and left him, according to the news release. Prosecutors say DNA evidence found on the zip ties and sunglasses matched Natali-Rodriguez's and cell phone records also tied him to the area of the mall when the kidnapping occurred.

Natali-Rodriguez has already been behind bars at the Kane County Jail for 720 days, which he will receive as credit toward his jail term. He must serve at least 85 percent of the sentence before he is released.

“This sentence reflects the seriousness of Mr. Natali-Rodriguez’s crimes," said Kane County Assistant State’s Attorneys Bill Engerman. "I hope the victim in this case feels a sense of justice."