COOK COUNTY, IL – A 53-year-old Elk Grove man has been charged with Involuntary Servitude, a Class X felony, after a Cook County Sheriff’s Police investigation found he forced a victim to have sex for money, Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart announced today.
The Sheriff’s Police Vice Unit began its investigations in January after receiving a tip of possible trafficking. The unit members found the victim was being advertised online for sexual services.
During their investigation, Vice Unit members learned the ads were placed by Carlos Cooks, who also would set prices for the victim, arrange the dates, rent the hotel rooms, and control the money made from the sexual acts.
Investigators also learned that Cooks forced the woman to provide sexual acts for money at hotels in Palatine and that he had beaten the victim if she did not provide services, including threatening her with a firearm.
On October 6, Vice investigators took Cooks into custody.
After reviewing the facts of the case, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office approved one count of Involuntary Servitude, two counts of Trafficking in Persons, a Class 1 felony, and one count of Promoting Prostitution, a Class 4 felony.
Cooks, of the 1900 block of East Higgins Road, is scheduled to appear for hearing today at the George N. Leighton Criminal Building.
The victim has been referred to the Victim Support Services, a survivor led unit within the Sheriff’s Police Department that works with individuals involved in trafficking and domestic violence situations to provide them resources and support they need to move forward with their lives.
The public is reminded that the defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty by the government in a court of law.
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