Joliet man charged with sex trafficking following undercover investigation
Further investigation revealed that Hardeman recruited the victim into commercial sex work last November.
Watch CBS News
Further investigation revealed that Hardeman recruited the victim into commercial sex work last November.
Some state lawmakers are proposing legislation that would eliminate criminal penalties for adults involved in consensual sex work.
It was not clear late Friday whether any arrests had been made.
Neighbors say much of the illegal activity is spilling into the alleyways - which are right behind their homes.
We have covered the issue in the Southwest Side neighborhood before, and now, neighbors say it is more rampant than ever. CBS 2's Marybel Gonzalez reports.
There are disturbing details and arrests following a months-long investigation into human trafficking, and the victims are all women from South America.
Brendan Kennedy-Gasior, 37, is facing felony charges of promoting prostitution.
Brendan Kennedy-Gasior, 37, is facing felony charges of promoting prostitution.
Sex trafficking is a complicated problem that for many reasons is difficult for law enforcement to address and enforce.
Sex trafficking is a complicated problem that for many reasons is difficult for law enforcement to address and enforce. But as CBS 2's Joe Donlon found as he rode along for a sting operation earlier this summer, those challenges are not stopping efforts to fight trafficking.
Residents say they have reported it to police and the alderman, but the problem keeps getting worse.
The residents say they have reported it to police and the alderman, but the problem keeps getting worse. CBS 2's Marybel González reports.
"He requested an attorney," Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Wednesday. "Well judge, you need an attorney. You got problems."
A West Rogers Park building has been torn down after authorities conducted a raid there this week.
The FBI on Wednesday was asking for help in finding potential victims and information about two truck drivers – one of them from Chicago – who are accused of kidnapping women and demanding ransom for their release.
A man stood charged Saturday with running a prostitution operation out of his Bridgeport neighborhood apartment.
Under Florida law, most evidence is made public when given to defendants. That hasn't happened yet with the videos, and lawyers for Kraft and the other men want to pre-empt it, arguing that evidence shouldn't be made public until the investigation is complete, if ever.
According to police records, Kraft was chauffeured to the massage parlor in a 2014 white Bentley on the evening of Jan. 19, where officers say they secretly videotaped him engaging in a sex act and then handing over an undetermined amount of cash.
A massage parlor in south suburban Orland Park has been shut down and a masseuse is charged with prostitution after she allegedly offered to perform a sex act on an undercover officer in exchange for money, according to police.
Luis Zacarias-Ahumada, 39, was charged Friday with two counts of promoting prostitution.
Four men were arrested for soliciting a prostitute along the state line between Calumet City and Hammond, police say.
Investigators appear to be interested in her ties to longtime Donald Trump adviser Roger Stone, whom she has known for a decade.
The federal government sealed the website known for selling sex.
A Chicago man was promised a finder's fee of a couple hundred dollars to recruit a teenage girl to work as a prostitute.
Some 2,500 sex buyers thought they were chatting with prostitutes Ariel, Brook or Cari. But these were really software programs.
Police said two men were shot, one fatally, after an exchange of words led to gunfire.
All nine avalanche victims have been recovered from California's Sierra Nevada, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said Saturday at a news conference.
According to Chicago police, the ages of the victims range from 20 to 37.
The two boys, both 17, one from Bensenville and the other from Addison, were arrested on Friday night.
Indiana State Police said a silver 2022 Toyota was heading southbound in the northbound lanes of I-65 and hit a black 2016 Ford head-on just before 2 a.m. on Saturday.
Gov. JB Pritzker is demanding President Trump refund the state of Illinois more than $8 billion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down his sweeping reciprocal tariffs Friday.
Gov. J.B. Pritzker turned up the pressure on the Bears on Friday, calling on ownership to make clear if they're still interested in staying in Illinois and stop sending mixed signals.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson will join several other Democratic elected officials and well-known actors in giving unofficial responses to President Trump's State of the Union address on Tuesday night, according to a news release about the event.
"I guess I can say I am considering that," President Trump told reporters when asked about the possibility of a limited strike on Iran.
The Supreme Court on Friday ruled President Trump does not have the authority to unilaterally impose sweeping tariffs under a federal emergency powers law.
This is after Mayor Brandon Johnson vetoed an ordinance that would have banned most hemp-derived products this weekend.
This week marks Identity Theft Awareness Week, and Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza emphasized some safety tips Monday for avoiding and dealing with identity theft.
A controversial data center in Naperville, Illinois, could be the cause to pack a city council meeting there on Tuesday night.
Police in the west Chicago suburb of Geneva are warning of a scam involving spoofed phone numbers.
Protesters on Tuesday were cranking up the heat on Peoples Gas over a recently proposed rate hike that would add an additional $10 to $11 a month to utility bills.
Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital announced this week that it is planning to open a new pediatric hospital in the west Chicago suburb of Downers Grove.
It has been nearly six years since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and one of the many questions doctors are still working to answer concerns the long-term effects.
Leaders from Cook County, the Illinois Department of Human Services, and the Greater Chicago Food Depository denounced changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Wednesday.
The University of Chicago Medicine Comprehensive Cancer Center has received a grant from The Ralph Lauren Corporate Foundation for a new cancer center.
Chicago's Lurie Children's Hospital said Tuesday that it is no longer initiating gender-affirming medical treatment for minors.
Lizard's Liquid Lounge announced recently that it will be closing for good in April after 18 years on Chicago's Northwest Side.
BP refinery workers in Northwest Indiana hit the picket line this past weekend as they escalate their fight for a contract.
Funkytown has now received a $3.7 million grant from the City of Chicago. The money will be used to create a new brewery and tap room on the Near West Side.
With his name now hanging in the rafters, former Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is helping the United Center with its major redevelopment.
A potential bidding war is taking shape for the Daily Herald, the newspaper of record for suburban Chicago.
"Jersey Shore" star Nicole "Snooki" Polizzi said in a TikTok video that her results at a post-op appointment for a cone biopsy showed stage 1 cervical cancer.
Garth Brooks, Ed Sheeran, Post Malone and Jelly Roll are among the artists headlining in the 2026 SummerFest in Milwaukee this summer.
Anderson Cooper will report multiple stories for "60 Minutes" before the end of the television season in May.
Warner Bros. Discovery said that Paramount Skydance is considering enhancing its buyout offer for the entertainment company.
Robert Duvall was in such classics as "The Godfather," "To Kill a Mockingbird," "M*A*S*H," "The Great Santini" and "Tender Mercies."
Meteorologist Kylee Miller is tracking snow and cold conditions.
Survivor alums greeted fans at the Kimball stop for the start of the challenge on Saturday morning.
The free swap took place in a mobile locker room that made several stops around the city on Saturday
The president's announcement comes one day after the Supreme Court struck down his sweeping tariffs
Seven years after Chicago police wrongly raided the home of Anjanette Young, the woman is celebrating the release of her new book.
Chicago police said two persons of interest are in custody for a deadly carjacking on the city's North Side that is believed to also be connected to a shooting in Bronzeville.
An investigation by the Major Accidents Investigation Unit is open and ongoing.
On Saturday morning, faith leaders and community members came together for a morning of reflection, music, and service in honor of the late Rev. Jesse Jackson.
Police said two men were shot, one fatally, after an exchange of words led to gunfire.
All nine avalanche victims have been recovered from California's Sierra Nevada, Nevada County Sheriff Shannan Moon said Saturday at a news conference.
A family-owned toy company in north suburban Vernon Hills played a pivotal role in the surprise Supreme Court ruling Friday that struck down most of President Trump's tariffs.
The city of Chicago is about to write some big checks to thousands of vehicle owners who had their cars, vans, or trucks towed by the city without the proper warning.
Gary residents hoped the new partnership between U.S. Steel and Japanese company Nippon Steel would mean changes to how much coal is being used and how much emissions are being released, but that's not what's in the works.
Chef Art Smith said the carjacking and fatal shooting of his employee, Darwin Tirado, 22, was devastating not only to his family but also to the larger community.
A state lawmaker is joining the growing call for accountability from the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services about past abuse allegations before an 8-year-old boy's murder.
After a successful halfpipe qualifier, Team USA's Hunter Hess flashed an "L" and referenced insults from President Trump.
The Chicago Bears have taken a big step forward in finding a new site for their stadium, and that momentum is moving fast toward Northwest Indiana.
As far as his own game is heading into the upcoming season, Hayes said he feels strong and healthy.
With all of his success so far, the 35-year-old lefty said he's excited for what's to come in year two for both himself and the team.
Northern Iowa football player Parker Sutherland has died two days after collapsing during an offseason workout.
An Illinois man was extradited from Texas to Michigan to face felony charges in connection with a 2024 murder and robbery in Warren.
An armed home invasion suspect has been charged, after he was arrested following an hours-long standoff with police, during which two people were rescued on Thursday in northwest suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois.
A Yorkville man has been sentenced to 12 years in prison after he was convicted of repeatedly sexually assaulting a girl for nearly four years in Chicago's far southwest suburbs.
An armed home invasion suspect is in custody after an hourslong standoff with police in northwest suburban Arlington Heights, Illinois.
It took more than three years, but charges have been filed in the deaths of two young women in Hobart, Indiana, back in 2022.
