CHICAGO, IL – A Chicago man was arrested today on a federal sex trafficking charge for allegedly arranging a commercial sex encounter for a 16-year-old girl that ended in the child’s murder in a south suburban garage on Christmas Eve in 2016.
Joseph Hazley, 33, allegedly posted the girl’s information in commercial sex advertisements on Backpage.com, and arranged multiple meetings in December 2016 for her to engage in prostitution, according to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago. Hazley drove the girl to several meetings in the Chicago area, including an encounter in the early morning hours of Christmas Eve in a garage in south suburban Markham, the complaint states. During this encounter, the customer allegedly murdered the girl.
Hazley was arrested this morning at his home in Chicago. The complaint charges him with one count of sex trafficking. The charge is punishable by a minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Hazley made an initial court appearance this morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daniel G. Martin in Chicago. Judge Martin ordered Hazley to remain in federal custody until a detention hearing on June 23, 2017, at 10:30 a.m.
The complaint was announced by Joel R. Levin, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Michael J. Anderson, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart; and Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie T. Johnson. Substantial assistance was provided by the Markham Police Department and the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office.
The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher V. Parente.
The customer was subsequently arrested by the Chicago Police Department and charged with murder in Cook County Criminal Court.
The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt. The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
Defendant:
Joseph Hazley
Criminal Charges:
One count of sex trafficking
City and State:
Chicago, IL
Exact Date:
December 2016
Sentence or Outcome:
Remains in federal custody until a detention hearing on June 23, 2017
Dollar Amounts:
None specified
Related Federal Cases
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- Dewayne Hill, Cocaine Trafficking and Unlawful Possession of a Firearm, Illinois 2014 · Illinois
- Martez Moore, Cocaine Trafficking, Conspiracy, Illinois 2015 · Illinois
- Letitia James, Opioid Trafficking, New York 2022 · North Carolina
- Dominick Palladinetti, Drug Smuggling, Illinois 2023 · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Category: Human Trafficking|Sex Crimes|Violent Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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