Man pleads guilty to armed robbery in drug buy setup in Wonder Lake, gets 13 years in prison

One of two men charged with the armed robbery of a 17-year-old who thought he was meeting the men to buy marijuana in Wonder Lake, but instead was beaten and robbed, has pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

Azmi Ibrahim III, 21, of Waukegan, pleaded guilty to a Class X felony of armed robbery, which typically carries a prison term of six to 30 years. He is required to serve half his prison term, which will be followed by 1½ years of mandatory supervised release, according to the judgment order signed by Judge Mark Gerhardt filed in McHenry County court.

Ibrahim will receive credit for 501 days served in the county jail, plus 149 days of credit he earned through work, volunteering or participating in a self-improvement program, according to the order. In exchange for his guilty plea, a charge of mob action was dismissed.

Ibrahim was charged along with Christopher Williams, 21, of Round Lake Beach, and a juvenile, records show. Williams' case still is pending.

Authorities said that at 5 p.m. July 23, 2023, Ibrahim drove Williams and the juvenile to meet the 17-year-old under the ruse of selling him $500 of marijuana, according to a petition to deny Ibrahim bail signed by Assistant State’s Attorney Brian Miller.

However, the pair never planned to sell the teen the marijuana; they intended to rob him, according to the petition. The would-be customer entered Ibrahim’s vehicle, and “multiple firearms were pulled, and [Ibrahim], seated in the driver’s seat pointed a gun at [the teen] in the back seat,” according to prosecutors' petition.

Williams, who was sitting in the back seat with the 17-year-old, allegedly struck him, and the victim “turned over the $500 and escaped the vehicle,” according to the petition.