Chicago man Andrew Anania receives punishment for kidnapping and sexually assaulting drivers at gunpoint; Walter Moran found guilty as well

CHICAGO (WLS) — A Chicago man was sentenced for kidnapping sexually assaulting multiple drivers at gunpoint.

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According to the Northern District of Illinois U.S. Attorney’s Office, 29-year-old Andrew Anania was convicted of a series of kidnappings and assaults in 2021.

Anania’s crimes included kidnapping an Uber driver in Darien on March 8, 2021. He used a gun to force her to drive to a Chicago alley, where he sexually assaulted her before fleeing the scene.

Just two days later, Anania and another individual named Walter Moran abducted a woman heading to work in Cicero. During this incident, Anania threatened the driver with a gun, demanding she drive to Chicago. In Chicago, Moran engaged in a shootout with unidentified individuals. Eventually, the pair released the victim and stole her vehicle.

Nearly four years after the crimes, a jury convicted Anania on kidnapping, carjacking, and firearm charges.

Anania had already pleaded guilty to kidnapping and sexually assaulting a driver on February 27, 2021. The woman escaped when the car stopped at an intersection. Anania fled and crashed the vehicle a short time later.

Officials said Anania committed all the assaults while awaiting trial in a separate federal firearm case.

U.S. District Judge Edmond E. Chang sentenced Anania to 50 years in prison in May 2025.

Moran, of Cicero, also pleaded guilty last year to kidnapping and carjacking charges. He was sentenced in April to 15 years and eight months in federal prison.