He’s known in Lake County as Daniel Garcia-Fino, a convicted drug dealer facing up to 50 years in prison.
But, according to authorities, he may also be known as Miguel Delgado-Uribe and Renaldo Olan, with criminal drug convictions in DuPage and LaSalle counties and in California and Washington state. At least they think so.
The FBI has matched Garcia-Fino’s fingerprints, taken at the Lake County Jail following his Jan. 26 arrest, with the person arrested under those names in previous criminal cases elsewhere. But, now, authorities are looking for further visual confirmation before he’s sentenced.
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Assistant State’s Attorney Rod Drobinski and defense attorney Randie Bruno said in court Wednesday that they’re uncertain about the number of previous convictions attributed to Garcia-Fino. Bruno said Garcia-Fino could not be the same person who committed two of the other crimes because the defendant in the other cases had tattoos his client doesn’t.
“This is the issue that presents itself whenever someone uses numerous different names and numerous dates of birth while in this country,” Assistant State’s Attorney Rod Drobinski responded
Garcia-Fino, 43, of Round Lake Heights, has pleaded guilty to charges of intent to deliver methamphetamine. He was scheduled to be sentenced Wednesday, but that was delayed after questions about his true identity surfaced.
Authorities say he is an undocumented immigrant who has been deported and illegally re-entered the United States multiple times. Garcia-Fino, however, denied the previous arrests and convictions attributed to him, admitting only to two deportations.
Bruno told Judge Victoria Rossetti that photographic evidence exists that the defendant in at least two of the other cases attributed to Garcia-Fino had tattoos that do not match her client.
Drobinski also said Garcia-Fino is in the U.S. illegally and has been convicted several times of aggravated re-entry to the country after being deported to Mexico. Authorities said Garcia-Fino is under a federal immigration hold, meaning he could be deported following completion of his sentence.
Garcia-Fino was arrested at his Round Lake Heights residence after an investigation by the Lake County Metropolitan Enforcement Group (MEG), which conducts drug investigations, according to the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
He was charged and has pleaded guilty to unlawful possession of methamphetamine with intent to deliver, a Class X felony for which he could be sentenced to 12 to 50 years in prison upon conviction, and unlawful possession of methamphetamine, also a Class X felony, carrying a penalty of eight to 40 years in prison.
Drobinski said Garcia-Fino was found to be in possession of roughly a pound of methamphetamine.
Garcia-Fino, is being held in the Lake County Jail on $1 million bail. His next hearing has been set for Aug. 26.
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