Five Charged in Connection With Gold Coast Watch Heist

Attorney says the group identifies themselves as "Roma,"

A Cook County judge on Thursday set bail at $100,000 for each of four people accused of taking part in a brazen Saturday afternoon burglary in Chicago's Gold Coast neighborhood.

Anna Straus, 35, of the 3400 block of North Rutherford; Glowacka Xagniezska, 36, of the 3400 block of North Rutherford; Damian Duitlow, 41, of the 4200 block of West Wrightwood; and Ian Kowolski, 50, of an unknown home address, were identified as suspects in the burglary and charged with one felony count each of burglary and theft of items valued between $100,000 and $500,000, police said.

Straus did not appear in court because she was in custody at Northwestern Memorial Hospital about to give birth.

Police said two women and two men walked into the B. Young & Company store in the 800 block of Rush Street at about 12:15 p.m. Saturday. One man pulled the glass panels apart on a display cabinet while another man took several expensive watches, and the two women provided cover by acting as lookouts. The four got away in a silver-colored minivan.

More than $400,000 worth of merchandise was stolen, investigators said.

Defense attorney Grarado Gutierrez says his clients, some of whom have been deported multiple times, identify themselves as Roma.

"Roma means they are essentially gypsies. They don't have a country to go back to, so it's hard to deport someone who doesn't claim a nationality," Gutierrez said.

Master Sgt. Steven Pryor is part of a special Illinois State Police unit investigating Roma-associated crimes called the Ruse Burglary Task Force. The group assisted Chicago police in this case.

"Our task force is geared toward the expertise of tracking these people, arresting them and getting them punished appropriately for the crimes they commit," Pryor said.

During the investigation, 31-year-old Andrzej Debinski of the 3600 block of North Sayre was also arrested and charged with possessing a fraudulent identification card, police said. His bail was set at $20,000.

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