COOK COUNTY, IL – A Chicago man is facing multiple felony charges following a Sheriff’s Police investigation that determined he sex trafficked a 16-year-old victim who had been reported missing downstate.
On Wednesday, Sept. 25th, the Federal Bureau of Investigations contacted Sheriff’s Police Special Victims Unit investigators after images of the victim, who was reported missing by authorities in Woodford County, were found on the websites Megapersonals and Skipthegames.
An investigator posing as a sex buyer arranged a meeting with the victim on Friday afternoon at a motel in Cicero. When the victim arrived at the location, investigators recovered the victim and took Tervon Moore, 30, of the 4700 block of South Martin Luther King Drive, into custody.
The victim was transported to a local hospital for evaluation. Investigators subsequently learned that Moore had the victim engage in sex acts, posted ads on the websites, arranged dates with Johns, and collected the payments – taking half of the proceeds for himself.
On Saturday, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved felony charges of Class X Involuntary Servitude of a Minor <17, Class 1 Trafficking for Labor/Benefits, and Class 1 Trafficking for Labor/Recruits.
Moore appeared today for an initial appearance hearing at the George N. Leighton Criminal Courthouse, where he was ordered detained at the Cook County Jail pending trial.
The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
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