At least five people have been arrested and are facing charges of human trafficking and promoting prostitution after allegedly smuggling women from South America and into the United States for the purposes of operating a series of brothels in the Chicago area.
According to the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office and the St. Charles Police Department, numerous law enforcement agencies worked to dismantle the criminal enterprise, with at least seven victims identified by authorities at this time.
According to charging documents, the suspects engaged in a conspiracy to subject the victims to “commercial sexual activity by causing or threatening physical harm," and also held the women against their will at various residences and other buildings in the area.
The first complaints were lodged earlier this year when police were tipped off to a possible prostitution operation at a St. Charles apartment building.
In continuing the investigation, authorities determined that the trafficking and prostitution rings were far more widespread, with alleged brothels being operated in Aurora, Chicago, Elgin, Hanover Park, unincorporated Palatine, and South Elgin, according to police.
“I want to commend the St. Charles Police Department for recognizing this situation as human trafficking and not one in which people are simply charged for sex acts and treated as offenders and not victims,” Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said in a statement.
Police say that victims were located at each of those locations during the course of the investigation.
Local
“There were two or so victims at each location, and each of those victims were taken into protective custody,” St. Charles Police Chief James Keegan said.
The seven victims in the case were taken into protective custody on Wednesday, police said. The victims ranged in age from their early-20s to their early-30s, and all are receiving support from social services at this time, according to authorities.
Feeling out of the loop? We'll catch you up on the Chicago news you need to know. Sign up for the weekly Chicago Catch-Up newsletter.
At least one woman was hospitalized, according to police.
Four men and one woman have been charged with a variety of felonies in the case, and all appeared in bond court on Thursday. Those felonies included aggravated involuntary servitude, trafficking in persons for labor, and multiple counts of involuntary servitude, according to authorities.
Bond of $5 million was set for each of the suspects in the case.
More suspects are believed to be involved, and the investigation remains underway.
