Joliet man charged with sex trafficking following undercover investigation
Further investigation revealed that Hardeman recruited the victim into commercial sex work last November.
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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.
The family of Rev. Jesse Jackson arrived early Sunday morning to the state capitol building in South Carolina, where Jackson will lie in state.
Effective Sunday, March 1, the speed limit on most residential streets in the village has dropped from 30 mph to 25 mph.
Officials in Lake County, Illinois, have issued a warning to watch out for scammers targeting people who have lost their pets.
The second annual North Side Wedding Walk was held Sunday, with couples able to find all their vendors by the end of the tour.
Six people were hurt early Sunday morning in a three-vehicle crash in Chicago's Roscoe Village community.
President Trump posted on social media that Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei had been killed after a massive U.S. and Israeli military operation Saturday.
Americans weighed in on how long a conflict with Iran might last and what Congress should do.
Trump ally Sen. Lindsey Graham said the operation would be "violent, extensive and I believe, at the end of the day, successful."
President Trump says his objective in attacking Iran "is to defend the American people by eliminating imminent threats" from the regime in Tehran. Read his full statement and watch the video here.
President Trump said that "heavy and pinpoint bombing" of Iran would "continue, uninterrupted throughout the week or, as long as necessary."
Palatine, Illinois-based Weber has issued a recall of more than 3.2 million metal wire bristle grill brushes because you could ingest the bristles.
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.
When a doctor was told there was no cure for his daughter's condition, he was motivated to transform not only her health, but the lives of thousands of others.
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.
Not one, but two hotels are now planned or proposed for Chicago's Northalsted LGBTQ+ nightlife district.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
Barnes & Noble was set to reopen in Skokie on Wednesday, just weeks after it closed.
Trader Joe's is opening a new location in Chicago's Logan Square neighborhood.
The district laid out a $630 million plan to remake Soldier Field into a major concert venue and events space.
Singer-songwriter Neil Sedaka, known for his hits like "Laughter in the Rain," "Breaking Up is Hard to Do" and "Calendar Girl," has died.
A 19th-century George Méliès film, thought to be long lost, has been found among a box of brittle movie reels that a Michigan donor brought to the Library of Congress, officials said.
Streaming giant Netflix declined to match Paramount Skydance's $31 per share offer for Warner Bros. Discovery.
After the Double Door closed in Wicker Park, there was reassurance that the Double Door would return, at a new location in the city's Uptown neighborhood. Now that is not happening anymore.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame has announced its 2026 list of nominees, including Phil Collins, Mariah Carey, Wu-Tang Clan and more.
More strikes were carried out in Iran on Sunday after Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was killed in a massive U.S. and Israeli military operation the day before. Cristian Benavides reports.
Effective Sunday, March 1, the speed limit on most residential streets in the village has dropped from 30 mph to 25 mph.
Officials in Lake County, Illinois, have issued a warning to watch out for scammers targeting people who have lost their pet.
The second annual North Side Wedding Walk was to be held Sunday, with couples able to find all their vendors by the end of the tour.
Some brave souls were set to take a dip in the frigid waters of Lake Michigan on Sunday for the Polar Plunge, to benefit the Special Olympics. Chicago Park District Special Olympics administrator Eileen Guinane, Special Children’s Charities director Amy Taylor, and Chicago Fire Department Deputy District Chief Jason Lach join Suzanne Le Mignot with a preview.
The U.S. military says three troops have been killed in the war with Iran, as Iranian missiles hit countries and ships across the region. Another strike killed at least eight in Israel.
Fourteen people were hospitalized, including three in critical condition, after the shooting at Buford's, a beer garden in Austin's entertainment district.
Six people were hurt early Sunday morning in a three-vehicle crash in Chicago's Roscoe Village community.
The family of Rev. Jesse Jackson arrived early Sunday morning to the state capitol building in South Carolina, where Jackson will lie in state.
Effective Sunday, March 1, the speed limit on most residential streets in the village has dropped from 30 mph to 25 mph.
If you feel like you're drowning in a sea of text alerts and desperate email pleas for "just $5" this election season, you are far from alone.
A north suburban school bus driver became a victim of sophisticated scammers who are targeting more people and more vulnerable populations to make more money.
Both couples are still actively fighting for their kids, knowing it will be a long and complicated road.
The mother of an 8-year-old boy who was allegedly put in a chokehold and dragged by the neck by a Chicago Public Schools employee hopes her lawsuit and choice to speak out will help protect students in the future.
A jury on Wednesday awarded $5.74 million in damages to a Chicago family who accused police of violating their civil rights in a botched raid of their home in 2018.
The win extended Chicago's unbeaten streak against Canadian opponents to six matches dating to 2024.
Connor Bedard scored for Chicago, which has lost eight of nine and continues to struggle to score.
Morez Johnson Jr. had 19 points and 11 rebounds against his former team as No. 3 Michigan defeated No. 10 Illinois 84-70 and clinched Big Ten regular-season title.
It's already been a historic season for the University of Chicago men's basketball team, and they still have one big goal out in front of them.
Ryan O'Reilly scored with 3:16 remaining and the Nashville Predators scored three times in the third period in a 4-2 win over the Chicago Blackhawks in the teams' first game following the Olympic break.
Fourteen people were hospitalized, including three in critical condition, after the shooting at Buford's, a beer garden in Austin's entertainment district.
A judge has sentenced a Wisconsin man who forged threats against President Donald Trump as part of a deportation scheme to 16½ years in prison.
A man has been charged with shooting and killing a father and son following a jewelry store robbery last November in the Little Village neighborhood of Chicago.
Two men are charged with filing a false police report, claiming they were robbed of millions of dollars worth of jewelry.
Chicago police issued an alert Thursday about a rash of criminal sexual assaults that have happened on one block on Chicago's West Side, committed by a man who lures his victims by setting up dates through an escort app.
