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.
A 19-year-old has been charged in connection with a shooting at a Chicago Jewel-Osco that left three injured in November.
The Cook County Crime Stoppers are canvassing areas on the South Side where police are investigating two separate homicides.
A teen was shot in the face in Chicago's South Deering neighborhood early Saturday morning.
The FBI and sheriff's department have been investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, for nearly two weeks.
It's the second time in as many weeks that government funding has lapsed as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over immigration enforcement policies.
It's the second time in as many weeks that government funding has lapsed as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over immigration enforcement policies.
Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is seeking a fifth term in office and is facing off against longtime Chicago Ald. Brendan Reilly (42nd) in the Democratic primary.
A federal judge has ruled that President Donald Trump's administration cannot pull back $600 million in public health grants allocated to four Democratic-led states, including Illinois, for now.
President Trump pardoned five former NFL players - one posthumously - for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.
From Kat Abughazaleh to Jason Friedman, some surprising names lead in fundraising in Illinois' primary elections.
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.
A lawsuit filed late last month took Chicago-based McDonald's to task over the McRib sandwich, calling its name a form of false advertising.
The Trump administration's new discounted drug platform isn't a game-changer for consumers, health care experts said.
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.
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.
A Near West Side diner known for drawing in Blackhawks fans and players is up for sale.
January may be the coldest time of the year, but Chicago is already looking forward to summer farmers' markets.
A development proposal issued this month calls for the replacement of a building housing a Giordiano's pizzeria in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood with a new mixed-use building with 28 residential units.
"Dawson's Creek" and "Varsity Blues" star James Van Der Beek has died at 48 years old.
The 31-year-old Puerto Rican artist Bad Bunny took the stage on Sunday dressed in all white, donning a jersey with his last name, Ocasio, and the number 64.
Brad Arnold, the founder and lead singer of the 3 Doors Down has died following "his courageous battle with cancer," the rock band announced Saturday on social media.
Bad Bunny took the stage at halftime for the 2026 Super Bowl. Here's who else performed at Super Bowl 60.
Gamers across the world can now recreate drone strikes in Ukraine from the comfort of their own home, with this newly released game.
A fire broke out at an apartment building in Calumet Park on Saturday.
Ernesto and Rodrigo are looking for forever homes. They are available for adoption at PAWS Chicago.
Nealy two weeks after Nancy Guthrie was abducted, law enforcement activity was seen near the 84-year-old's home.
A partial government shutdown is underway, impacting government workers on Saturday.
Meteorologist Mary Kay Kleist has the extended forecast.
It's the second time in as many weeks that government funding has lapsed as Democrats and the White House remain at an impasse over immigration enforcement policies.
The Cook County Crime Stoppers are canvassing areas on the South Side where police are investigating two separate homicides.
A teen was shot in the face in Chicago's South Deering neighborhood early Saturday morning.
A bustling downtown neighborhood has been left on edge after a brutal armed robbery in broad daylight. West Loop leaders and business owners were speaking out on Friday about the attack.
A 19-year-old has been charged in connection with a shooting at a Chicago Jewel-Osco that left three injured in November.
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.
Chicago's rodent problem is well known, but a new pilot program testing rat birth control to curb the population in problem areas is underway to help rein it in.
From Kat Abughazaleh to Jason Friedman, some surprising names lead in fundraising in Illinois' primary elections.
The move means the United States Environmental Protection Agency will no longer regulate greenhouse gases emitted from sources like cars, trucks and power plants.
CBS News Chicago is tracking what led to the death of an 8-year-old boy in Round Lake Beach and whether state officials were aware of any red flags before his murder.
A 19-game improvement last season saw a lot of White Sox players make their Major League debuts, and one of the team's top prospects is working for that same opportunity this year.
While their overall expectations might be much different, both the Cubs and White Sox are looking to make noticeable improvements in 2026 as they ramp up spring training in Arizona.
With his name now hanging in the rafters, former Chicago Bulls guard Derrick Rose is helping the United Center with its major redevelopment.
After Iowa, Portage, and Gary joined the talks for the Bears' new stadium, leaders in Arlington Heights say this is now, more than ever, about keeping the team in Illinois.
Cade Horton, who won't have the innings restrictions like he did last year, when he still finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting.
The FBI and sheriff's department have been investigating the disappearance of Nancy Guthrie, the mother of "Today" show co-host Savannah Guthrie, for nearly two weeks.
A bustling downtown neighborhood has been left on edge after a brutal armed robbery in broad daylight. West Loop leaders and business owners were speaking out on Friday about the attack.
President Trump pardoned five former NFL players - one posthumously - for crimes ranging from perjury to drug trafficking.
Authorities on Thursday released the first physical description of a male suspect wanted in connection with the Arizona disappearance of Nancy Guthrie.
A man pleaded guilty Thursday to the murders of two brothers — both of them U.S. Marines — in Cicero, Illinois, more than three decades ago.
