A Chicago man charged with kidnapping and sex trafficking five young people faces up to life in prison, the U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois announced on Friday.

A jury on Tuesday convicted Dennis Williams, 33, on all seven sex trafficking and kidnapping counts against him following a week-long trial. All five of Williams' victims, including both of the kidnapping victims, testified about their ordeals during the trial.

The office said Williams used threats, violence, drugs, and other coercive means to force the five victims to engage in commercial sexual acts. They say he often restrained or assaulted the victims to force them to comply and turn over the proceeds to him.  

One of the victims, a 17-year-old girl who was repeatedly assaulted by Williams, was forced into assisting him with trafficking the other victims.

According to the office, Williams operated his sex trafficking operations in 2022 and 2023 out of his Chicago residence and motels in Lansing.

One of the incidents happened on Aug. 2, 2022, Williams kidnapped one of his victims by luring her inside his truck and abruptly driving away. The victim, however, managed to escape by jumping out of the truck.

Then, on Jan. 10, 2023, Williams kidnapped another of his victims, kept her in his closet overnight, and forced her to engage in commercial sex with strangers. The victim escaped by jumping out of a second-floor window and running a quarter mile to a Chicago Public Library branch, the office said.

Williams faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life. 

His sentencing is set for Oct. 7.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.