Isa Al Ahad

A Schaumburg man has been sentenced to 26 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections for robbing two cellular phone stores in DuPage County. 

Isa Al Ahad, formerly Stephon Little, 31, was convicted of robbing at gunpoint a Wheaton Sprint store in 2019 and a Hinsdale Verizon Wireless store in 2022.  

The state had asked for a sentence of 60 years in the IDOC. 

DuPage County Circuit Court Judge Joseph Bugos handed down a 21-year sentence on the Wheaton robbery and a 26-year sentence on the Hinsdale robbery. The sentences will be served concurrently. 

On Nov. 27, 2019, Little appeared in Bond Court charged with robbing a Wheaton Sprint store of $120,000 worth of merchandise in late 2019. Bond was set in the case at $375,000 with 10 percent to apply. 

Little posted $37,500, the necessary 10 percent, on Dec. 16, 2019, and was released from custody. 

On June 22, 2022, Little again appeared in Bond Court, where he was ordered to be held without bond following allegations that on June 16, 2022, while out on bond and on electronic monitoring, he robbed at gunpoint a Hinsdale Verizon store.  

He has remained in custody since that time at the DuPage County Jail. 

On Feb. 28, Little entered a plea of guilty to two counts of armed robbery with a firearm, a Class X felony. Because the crimes were committed with a gun, Little faced an automatic 15-year enhancement, resulting in a sentencing range of between 21 and 90 years in the IDOC. 

On Feb. 13, Little’s co-defendant in the Wheaton case, Denzel Furance, 25, of Calumet City, was sentenced to 23 years in the IDOC after previously entering a plea of guilty to one count of armed robbery with a firearm.         

Shortly before 8:15 p.m. Nov. 8, 2019, Wheaton police officers responded to a call of an armed robbery at the Sprint store at 212 Danada Square West. Officers began an investigation and learned that at 7:45 p.m. that evening, Little and his co-defendant arrived at the store in a car driven by Little. Furance then entered the store armed with a semi-automatic gun supplied to him by Little and wearing a ski mask, medical gloves and a hooded sweatshirt. Once inside the store, Furance ordered two employees at gunpoint to a back storage room where a third employee was located, along with products and the store safe. Furance ordered one of the victims at gunpoint to bind the wrists and ankles of the other two employees with duct tape. 

The offender then bound the wrists and ankles of the third victim with duct tape. He then ordered the employees to open the safe containing electronic devices. Once the safe was open, Furance placed more than 100 items, worth $120,000, into garbage bags he had brought with him. He then covered the mouths and eyes of the three employees with duct tape and exited the store, inadvertently dropping items on his way out. 

Furance returned to the store several minutes later to retrieve the items he had previously dropped and then fled the scene with Little driving the getaway car 

Little was taken into custody on Nov. 24, 2019. 

On June 16, 2022, Little, armed with a pistol, entered the Verizon Wireless store located at 34 E. First St. in Hinsdale, wearing a black ski mask, gloves and a hooded sweatshirt. 

Once inside the store, Little ordered the clerk at gunpoint to fill a bag with 60 Apple products including iPhones, iPads and watches. Little then fled the store with the merchandise. Little was taken into custody the same day in Ford Heights without incident. 

Al Ahad, formerly Little, is serving a 15-year sentence for three armed robberies of cell phone stores in Cook County that he committed after posting bond in his first DuPage County case.    

“The fact that Mr. Little committed four additional armed robberies while out on bond is outrageous,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said. “His complete and utter disregard for the rule of law and terrorizing those who were just trying to make a living has finally caught up with him. 

“Violent gun crimes have no place in society and my office will continue to prosecute anyone who commits this type of brazen criminal conduct. We are all thankful none of the employees were physically injured and it is my hope that the survivors of these crimes and the community will feel a little safer knowing that the man who terrorized them is now behind bars.”