CHICAGO — A 20-year prison sentence was handed down to JAMARI HODGE, 29, of Calumet City, Ill., for recruiting and enticing a 13-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts.
In November 2021, Hodge took sexually explicit photographs of the victim and posted them in online advertisements offering commercial sex. Hodge then rented hotel rooms in Illinois and Indiana to use for encounters with individuals who responded to the advertisements.
Hodge set the prices and collected the payments from customers after the encounters. The sentence was announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI.
Valuable assistance was provided by the Lansing, Ill., Police Department, Calumet City, Ill. Police Department, and Richton Park, Ill., Police Department. The government was represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Erin Kelly.
In addition to the prison term, U.S. District Judge Martha M. Pacold ordered Hodge to pay $180,000 in restitution to the victim. Hodge pleaded guilty last year to a federal charge of enticing a minor to engage in commercial sex.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Hodge’s actions demonstrate the devastating consequences of sex trafficking and the importance of holding perpetrators accountable. This sentence serves as a warning to those who would exploit and harm the most vulnerable members of our society.
Related Federal Cases
- Chicago Father & Sons: 50+ Years for Sex Trafficking · Minnesota
- Flushing Trio Indicted in Interstate Sex Trafficking Ring · Pennsylvania
- Brittany Stenberg Gets 10 Years for Child Sex Trafficking · Illinois
- Jamari Hodge: 20 Years for Child Sex Trafficking · Illinois
- Indiana Man Indicted in Child Exploitation Case · Illinois
Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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