Murdered Teen's Backpage Pimp Charged With Sex Trafficking: FBI

MARKHAM, IL -- A teen found murdered in a Markham garage last Christmas Eve was groomed and sold for sex by a Chicago man who trafficked her on the infamous website Backpage.com, an unsealed federal criminal complaint said. The man was arrested and charged on June 21.

Joseph Hazley, 33, has been charged with sex trafficking of a minor. According to the complaint, Hazley allegedly began advertising Desiree Robinson as a paid escort on Backpage.com in December 2016. The teen was found dead in a garage with her throat slit and her body badly beaten on Dec. 24, 2016. Her death was ruled a homicide by the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.

According to federal prosecutors, Hazley routinely placed the Backpage ads for Robinson throughout the month of December. He instructed others to teach the teen how to communicate with customers and behave on “dates.” Hazley is also said to have picked out Desiree’s clothes and went with her to meet customers to provide security during "quickleys." The feds said Hazley had every reason to know Desiree was underage and only 16 years old.

The FBI got involved after discovering the man charged with the teen’s murder, 32-year-old Antonio Rosales, of Chicago, had allegedly met Robinson through a Backpage ad. Federal investigators began looking into Desiree’s suspected trafficking. The teen had been reported missing by her grandparents on Nov. 29, 2016.

By reviewing texts and talking to other sex workers and customers, the FBI identified Hazley as the teen’s pimp, the federal complaint said. One woman told the feds that she, herself, had met Hazley through a girlfriend in August 2016 and moved into Hazley’s apartment near 63rd and Racine in the city. Hazley reportedly told the woman things were “getting tight” and that she needed to start making money if she wished to continue living in his home.

Hazley allegedly starting posting ads for the woman on Backpage, which is when she learned that Hazley meant prostitution. He further instructed the woman how to word the ads to get the best johns, and what pictures to use. He also groomed the woman for her encounters and paid for the Backpage ads using bitcoins, which he purchased at local stores, the FBI said.

Before the woman quit working for Hazley in December 2016, federal prosecutors said she was introduced to a girl who appeared to be 15 or 16 “because she looked young and acted immature.” The girl, who is identified as “Minor A” in the federal complaint, soon moved in with Hazley. The woman said Hazley told her to teach the girl how to act and behave on dates.

Soon, the woman alleged, Hazley started dressing Desiree and driving her to meet customers, where he acted as security. Hazley is said to have placed Backpage ads for Robinson’s services from his home computer. During early December when the woman was staying with Hazley, he took the minor to approximately five to six dates a day, the FBI said. Some of those dates involved the woman and the teen. Hazley is reported to have said that “two girls equals more money.” Hazley kept all the money.

The woman was also instructed to sit in Hazley’s bedroom and watch him have sex with the girl, the complaint said. After the woman left Hazley in early December, Robinson called to ask her advice on leaving Hazley. The teen wanted to get her own apartment and asked the woman to help her. The FBI said the woman never heard from Desiree again until she learned of the teen’s murder.

FBI investigators also analyzed Robinson’s texts and recorded messages. On Dec. 10, 2016, an ad depicting the teen’s image on Backpage stated: “Hi Guys, My Name is Nikki. I’m New in Town for a short stay, looking for upscale Gentlemen to have a great time with. I am independent. No Law Enforcement or Police of any kind. No Pimps… no AA under 30 … All donations are for my time (Companionship) All my Pics are 100% real So Why Wait Call Me Now.”

The cell phone number allegedly matched a phone used by Desiree during her time with Hazley. The FBI said the IP address obtained through Comcast records matched that of Hazley. Other text messages throughout the month matched up with dates when Robinson reportedly met customers who responded to her Backpage ad, including two “quickleys” or customers Robinson met with on Dec. 10, 2016 by Midway airport, the complaint said.

On Christmas Eve, an encounter was arranged with Rosales, the FBI said. At 6:28 a.m., Robinson received a text message from Rosales asking her to come over because he had cash to pay her and “my uncle too. Lol,” according to the complaint. At 6:52 a.m., Desiree texted Rosales to let him know she was outside their meeting spot. Several hours later, at 9:22 a.m., the teen’s badly beaten and stabbed body was discovered in a garage in the 16200 block of South Hamlin Avenue.

Later, the FBI said, Rosales admitted to police he had met with Robinson twice on Dec. 24 for paid sex. Hazley is also said to have told police he drove Robinson to a party that had hired her as a dancer. After picking up a friend of Hazley’s, the three drove back to meet Rosales. Hazley and his friend remained in the car. Around 9 a.m., the complaint said Hazley woke up and went looking for Robinson, when he found the teen’s body in the garage.

On Tuesday, June 20, the FBI received Hazley’s Facebook records. In a private Facebook message dated Dec. 16, 2016, Hazley is said to have written, “Dis da new girl Nikki,” that included a picture of Robinson.

PHOTO: Desiree Robinson, 16 | Family Photo