Chicago man charged with running prostitution ring out of Lombard hotel

Pretrial release was denied Dec. 1 for a Chicago man charged with trafficking young women into prostitution, authorities said.

Heggie Carr, 47, of the 7000 block of Cregier Avenue, appeared in First Appearance Court facing two counts of involuntary servitude and two counts of trafficking in persons for labor, according to a DuPage County State’s Attorney’s Office news release.

In late September, Illinois State Police received information regarding an 18-year-old woman who allegedly was the victim of sex trafficking by Carr. Through the course of their investigation, authorities learned that Carr allegedly placed online ads offering sexual encounters with women at, among other locations, the Sonesta ES Suites located in Lombard, according to the release.

On Nov. 29, undercover officers arranged for sexual services with two women at the Sonesta ES Suites through an online ad posted by Carr. Carr allegedly was present at the scheduled time of the appointment. He left the hotel upon the officers’ arrival at which time he was arrested, according to the release.

Further investigation found Carr allegedly directed the victims to have sex for money and then give him all the proceeds. Carr allegedly forced the women into prostitution every day, threatened their lives as well as the lives of their family members if they did not do as they were told and beat at least one of the victims on a daily basis, according to the release.

“The charges against Mr. Carr are in a word, appalling,” DuPage County State’s Attorney Robert Berlin said in the release. “The alleged exploitation of these young victims, who were forced into the sex trade and trapped there by the use of deadly threats, should send a chill down the spine of each and every one of us.

“I commend the Illinois State Police, particularly Zone 1 Violent Crimes Investigations, for their truly outstanding work on this case as well as their ongoing efforts in going after those who would force young women into a life of prostitution for their own personal gain.”

Carr’s next court appearance is scheduled for Dec. 11 for status. If found guilty, Carr faces a sentence of up to 30 years in prison.