Six men have been charged following a 15-month investigation into prostitution occurring at alleged brothels in Aurora, West Dundee, Rockford and South Elgin, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.
On the morning of July 16, several law enforcement agencies — led by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office Human Exploitation Unit — conducted a coordinated arrest operation across Kane, Cook, McHenry, Boone and Winnebago counties, resulting in the arrest of six men, a news release from the state’s attorney’s office said Tuesday.
According to the criminal complaint, the men are accused of knowingly advancing and profiting from prostitution by arranging clients and controlling or exercising control over the use of residential apartments in the 500 block of Ashland Avenue in Aurora, the 800 block of Village Quarter Road in West Dundee, the 800 block of Kishwaukee Street in Rockford and the 300 block of Ann Street in South Elgin, the state’s attorney’s office news release said.
The complaint also alleges that several defendants committed forgery by using false names on leases associated with some of the alleged brothels, the news release said.
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The investigation and arrest operation were led by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office Human Exploitation Unit, the news release said, in partnership with the Illinois State Police, DHS Homeland Security Investigations, Kane County sheriff’s office, and the police departments of Aurora, Belvidere, Elgin, Hanover Park, Rockford, South Elgin, West Chicago, West Dundee and Woodstock.
The men now face charges including promoting prostitution for profit and promoting prostitution near a school and forgery, per the Kane County state’s attorney’s office.
According to the state’s attorney’s office, the men who have been arrested and charged are Abisahit Del Angel Hernández, 40, of Woodstock; Gustavo A. Pérez Cardoza, 35, of Aurora; Hugo F. Jaimes-Ramírez, 43, of Aurora; Kenneth E. Figueroa Castro, 29, of Belvidere; Delfino Torres-Navarro, 59, of Hanover Park; and Ricardo Hernández Lux, 33, of Elgin.
Del Angel Hernández has been charged with promoting prostitution advance at school and forgery involving making or altering a document, the news release said.
Pérez Cardoza is charged with promoting prostitution advance and promoting prostitution for profit arrange, per the release.
Jaimes-Ramírez is charged with promoting prostitution advance at school, promoting prostitution for profit arrange near school, forgery involving making or altering a document, promoting prostitution advance and promoting prostitution for profit arrange, according to the state’s attorney’s office.
Figueroa Castro has been charged with forgery involving making or altering a document, promoting prostitution advance at school, promoting prostitution for profit arrange near school, promoting prostitution advance and promoting prostitution for profit arrange, the release said.
Torres-Navarro is being charged with promoting prostitution advance at school, promoting prostitution for profit arrange near school, promoting prostitution advance and promoting prostitution for profit arrange, per the news release.
And Hernández Lux has been charged with promoting prostitution advance at school, promoting prostitution for profit arrange near school, promoting prostitution advance and promoting prostitution for profit arrange, the release stated.
All six men are in custody at the Kane County jail, Kane County detainee records show. According to Kane County Circuit Court records, all of the men are next set to appear in court on Thursday.
Kane County State’s Attorney Jamie Mosser said in the release that the aim of creating the Human Exploitation Unit was to “investigate and prosecute those that commit sex or labor trafficking.”
Kane County Undersheriff Amy Johnson added that investigations like these “demonstrate the strength of collaboration across jurisdictions.”
“Human trafficking has no boundaries, and neither should our response,” Johnson said in the release. “We remain committed to holding offenders accountable while supporting victims.”