A Chicago woman is facing serious felony charges after prosecutors say she spun a fake medical emergency to lure a stranger into a car, take his money, and then use violence when he demanded it back.
Gilda Miller, 33, was arrested Dec. 9 and charged with robbery, kidnapping by deceit, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor, according to the Chicago Police Department.
Prosecutors say the encounter unfolded just before 1 p.m. on Dec. 2 near the 3800 block of West Kedzie Avenue. The victim was walking when Miller, seated in the passenger side of a Jeep, allegedly asked him for money, claiming her 12-year-old daughter urgently needed insulin.
Authorities said the man initially refused. Miller then escalated the pitch, offering to drive him to a bank and allowing him to photograph the vehicle’s license plate and her driver’s license — a move prosecutors say was meant to lower his guard.
The victim got into the back seat.
The Jeep, driven by another man, went to a nearby PNC Bank, where the victim withdrew $500 from a drive-through ATM and handed the cash to Miller, investigators said.
That’s when the situation allegedly turned.
According to prosecutors, Miller demanded more money. When the victim refused and asked for his $500 back, the Jeep stopped at a 7-Eleven. Surveillance footage reviewed by police allegedly shows Miller and the driver trying to drag the victim out of the back seat by his arms and legs — while Miller’s daughter punched him in the head.
The vehicle then drove off with the rear door still open before stopping again. Miller allegedly returned just $120 to the victim, telling him that was all he would get back.
Then the Jeep disappeared.
Shaken, the victim later reported the incident to police, providing detectives with the photographs he had taken of the license plate and Miller’s identification. Investigators recovered surveillance video and conducted a photo lineup, where the victim identified Miller as the woman who took his money.
Police say license plate reader data later showed the same Jeep fleeing officers in another district days later. On Dec. 9, detectives tracked Miller down near the 4600 block of North Harding Avenue and took her into custody.
Authorities said the Jeep Compass involved was a Hertz rental that was overdue — and rented in Miller’s name.
During a post-Miranda interview, prosecutors say Miller admitted she lied about her daughter needing insulin to get money and acknowledged using the same story before. She denied intending to steal the cash and claimed she returned it, according to police.
Prosecutors aren’t buying that version.
Instead, they describe a calculated setup — a plea for compassion, a staged sense of safety, a drive-through withdrawal, and a violent ending. In tabloid noir terms, it was a mercy play that ended in charges that could follow Miller for years.
