A Venezuelan migrant charged with robbing a Lakeview man during a Facebook Marketplace meetup earlier this month received a complimentary upgrade Tuesday when federal prosecutors decided to pick up the case. Now 19-year-old Maykel Gonzalez Demaria is charged with Hobbs Act robbery and using a firearm during a violent crime for the August 5 holdup in the 700 block of West Belmont Avenue.
CWB Chicago first told you about the incident on August 9 after state prosecutors charged Demaria, whom U.S. officials deemed “inadmissible” at a Laredo, Texas, border crossing in 2023. And the victim’s split-second decision to snap a picture of the robber’s license plate helped cops catch him within minutes.
The 27-year-old victim made arrangements online to sell a MacBook for $550. At about 10:30 p.m., he met the prospective buyer, allegedly Demaria, in front of his home in the 700 block of West Belmont Avenue, prosecutors said. Demaria arrived alone in a blue Toyota Corolla, and the men communicated through translation apps on their phones…