Former Area Man Convicted Of Sex-Trafficking Two Minors And An Adult Victim At Southwest Suburban Motels

CHICAGO ― A former suburban man who was living in Michigan when he was arrested in 2011 was convicted by a federal jury of sex-trafficking three victims, including two minors, federal law enforcement officials announced today.  The defendant, FABRIEL DELANEY, was found guilty of all eight counts against him, including sex-trafficking by force, fraud and coercion, and of minors.  The jury began deliberating late Wednesday and returned its verdict yesterday afternoon following a trial that began Aug. 25 in U.S. District Court. 

Delaney, also known as “Face,” 28, formerly of Palatine, as well as Battle Creek and Kalamazoo, Mich., faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of life on multiple counts.  U.S. District Judge John Darrah scheduled sentencing for Dec. 10.

Delaney has been in federal custody since July 2011 when he was arrested by FBI agents outside a hotel in Tinley Park.  According to the evidence at trial, Delaney transported two minor females and a young woman from Kalamazoo to the hotel to engage in prostitution at what he believed was a bachelor party.  Delaney specifically expected the victims to engage in sexual activity with 10 to 12 men for $150 to $300 per customer.  Instead, Delaney was arrested at the hotel as part of a sting that followed a long-term investigation of his sex trafficking crimes.

All three victims, who were 16, 17, and 20-years-old at the time, testified about their prior involvement with Delaney at the trial.  They testified that, at first, Delaney took half of the money they were paid and, later, took all of the money they were paid, after advertising their services on various Internet websites.  The adult victim testified that Delaney threatened her by holding a hot iron next to her face, and there was additional testimony about beatings and other threats of violence.

The investigation began in September 2010 when Illinois State Police made a traffic stop in Will County and found Delaney driving with three female passengers, including one of the minor victims, who Delaney was sex-trafficking at a hotel in the Joliet area.  Delaney typically met customers in a hotel parking lot to ensure they were not undercover police before sending them to the victim’s hotel room.

The verdict was announced by Zachary T. Fardon, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Robert J. Holley, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  FBI field divisions in Detroit and Indianapolis assisted in the investigation, as well as the Cook County Sheriff?s Police Department, the Illinois State Police, police departments in Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, Mich., and the Will County State’s Attorney?s Office.

The government is being represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Rajnath Laud and Dylan Smith.