A 43-year-old Aurora man is in custody after allegedly luring a young West Viginia woman to Aurora and involving her in prostitution.
DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin and Aurora Chief of Police Keith Cross announced Saturday that Judge Alex McGimpsey has granted the State’s motion to deny pre-trial release for the suspect, who has been charged with one count of Trafficking in Persons (a Class 1 Felony); two counts of Involuntary Servitude (one a Class 3 Felony and one Class 4 Felony); and one count of Promoting Prostitution (a Class 4 Felony).
The charges stem from an investigation by the Aurora Police Department Special Operations Group that began in late November. The group received information regarding online advertisements for prostitution in Aurora which led to the suspect’s address as the location where the alleged prostitution occurred. On December 11, 2024, undercover officers with the Aurora Police Department conducted an undercover operation at the suspect’s Gregory Street address and arranged to meet for sex acts.
It is alleged that at the time of the scheduled appointment, the officer gave the woman $400 which she then slid under another door in the residence. After a brief conversation, the officer told the woman he was going to leave and that when he exited the room he saw a male, later identified as the suspect, picking up the $400 the woman had previously slid under the door. The suspect was taken into custody at this time.
Further investigation allegedly revealed that after the suspect met the woman online, he drove to West Virginia, picked her up and brought her to Aurora. The investigation also found that the woman has no family in West Virginia and was reported missing when she did not return to a group home where she was living.
“The charges against [the suspect] are appalling,” Berlin said. “The alleged exploitation of this young woman, whom he allegedly brought from her home to a place where she knew no one and forced her into the sex for his own monetary gain, should send a chill down the spine of each and every one of us. I commend the Aurora Police Department for their truly outstanding work on this case as well as their ongoing efforts in going after those who would force young women into a life of prostitution for their own personal gain.”
The suspect’s next court appearance is scheduled for January 6, 2025, for arraignment in of Judge Ann Celine O’Hallaren Walsh.
