Federal Indictment Charges Chicago Man with the Sex Trafficking of Several Children

CHICAGO — A Chicago man has been indicted on federal sex trafficking charges for allegedly recruiting several children into prostitution.

LENNIE PERRY, 44, is charged with sex trafficking eight minors under the age of 18, according to an indictment returned Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.  One of his victims was under 14 years old when Perry enticed the victim to engage in a commercial sex act, the indictment states.  Perry trafficked some of his victims from 2012 to 2014, and other victims in 2016 and 2017, according to the charges.

Arraignment on eight counts of sex trafficking is scheduled for Nov. 7, 2018, at 11:00 a.m., before U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary M. Rowland.

The indictment was announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Jeffrey S. Sallet, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case was investigated by the FBI Chicago Child Exploitation Task Force.  Valuable assistance was provided by the Chicago Police Department and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security - Homeland Security Investigations.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Kutcher, Charles Mulaney and Michelle Petersen.

The public is reminded that an indictment is not evidence of guilt.  The defendant is presumed innocent and entitled to a fair trial at which the government has the burden of proving guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.  Perry faces a statutory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.  If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to call the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678.  The hotline is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.