Oswego Man Convicted of Paying for Sex with Teen

An Oswego man has been convicted of traveling to Aurora and paying for a sexual encounter with a child.

Eric F. Ziemba, 42, of the 700 block of Wilmore Drive in Oswego, was convicted Tuesday of involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, traveling to meet a minor and grooming.

Prosecutors said that on Dec. 2, 2014, Ziemba traveled from Oswego to an Aurora hotel with the intent to pay to have a sexual encounter with what he believed would be a 15-year-old girl. When Ziemba arrived at the hotel, he met a person he thought was the girls’ mother, paid the person $150, and was arrested by officers from Homeland Security Investigations and the Aurora Police Department, according to a news release from the Kane County State's Attorney's Office. During the investigation, Ziemba told police that he had expected sexual favors in return for the $150.

Ziemba faces a minimum sentence of six years in the Illinois Department of Corrections. In addition to the prison term, Ziemba must register for 10 years as a sexual offender in accordance with the Illinois Sexual Offender Registration Act.

“Human trafficking, including child sex trafficking, is a serious problem that does exist in the United States, in our region and even in Chicago’s suburbs. Fortunately, law enforcement and governments at multiple levels are increasing their commitment to bring attention to the prevalence of child exploitation and to stopping it. I hope this conviction and others like it are a step toward ending this highly disturbing behavior,” Kane County State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in a news release.