12 'Johns' Arrested In Human Trafficking Sting: Lake County Sheriff

LAKE COUNTY, IL — In an effort to suppress human trafficking, the Lake County Sheriff's Office announced Wednesday it recently made 12 arrests of "Johns" who had met with undercover detectives and offered them money for sex. The effort was funded by the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area program.

According to police, the department's special investigations unit conducted the operation specifically targeting customers of prostitutes, or "Johns." Police used classified advertising websites to interact with the men, who arrived and offered undercover detectives money for sexual acts. They were subsequently arrested and taken to the Lake County Jail.

The men, who hailed from Round Lake, Arlington Heights, Round Lake, Lincolnshire, McHenry, Lake Forest, Park City, Crystal Lake, Marengo, Waukegan, Chicago and Kenosha, Wisconsin, were charged with a misdemeanor count of solicitation of a sexual act.

"It is a well-known fact that many are forced into this type of 'sex work' through physical force, fraud, and coercion. Many of them are victims of human trafficking," Lake County Sheriff John Idleburg said. "There is no doubt that if we reduce the demand for this type of activity, we reduce the need for the supply, making positive strides toward reducing human trafficking."

The LCSO said a nationwide effort has led to the arrests of 15,000 "Johns" and sex traffickers over the past decade.