Two accused sex traffickers from 2023 St. Charles sweep plead guilty

Two of five people charged with sex trafficking in St. Charles both pleaded guilty and agreed to serve five years in prison in deals negotiated with prosecutors.

Rigoberto Parra, 47, of Aurora and Christian Hurtado, 29, of Elgin, were charged in a law enforcement sweep in July 20, 2023 in St. Charles. Both pleaded guilty to one count of trafficking in persons, a Class 1 felony, and accepted five years in prison and 12 months of mandatory supervised release following their release, according to the plea agreement.

The other charges would not be prosecuted, as per the agreement.

Kane County Circuit Judge David Kliment accepted their plea agreements Friday, Feb. 21.

Both will get credit for 584 days already served in the Kane County jail, receiving a day off for every day served and their sentences will be served concurrently with similar charges filed in Cook County, documents show.

Both agreed to pay fines of $5,114, which includes $1,785 each in restitution, documents show.

Hurtado and Parra were indicted on one count each of involuntary servitude – a Class X felony – eight counts of trafficking in persons, one count of involuntary servitude in a lesser felony and four counts of promoting prostitution following their arrests, records show.

Punishment for a Class X conviction is six to 30 years in prison.

Punishment for a Class 1 felony conviction is four to 15 years or 48 months of probation.

Back in July 2023, St. Charles police led the probe into breaking up a human trafficking syndicate, which included the rescue of seven women who were being sex trafficked in brothels. One brothel was in an west side apartment in St. Charles and other were in South Elgin, Elgin, Hanover Park, Palatine and Chicago.

In the process of the arrests, police rescued seven women, all from South American, ranging in age from their early 20s to early 30s, police had said then.

The criminal cases against the three others – Hector Briseno, 55, Martha P. Hurtado-Hernandez, 58, both of Chicago and Daniel Hurtado, 27, of Elgin – are still pending.