Chicago man convicted of kidnapping 2, running sex trafficking operation

CHICAGO — A jury has convicted a Chicago man accused of kidnapping two people and operating a sex trafficking operation involving at least two minors in Lansing and Chicago.

On Tuesday, following a week-long trial., a jury in U.S. District Court in Chicago convicted 33-year-old Dennis Williams on seven sex trafficking and kidnapping counts, Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, announced Friday.

According to prosecutors, Williams oversaw the sex trafficking operation, which he ran out of his Chicago residence and motels in Lansing, Ill., in 2022 and 2023.

During that period, prosecutors said Williams used threats, violence, drugs, and other coercive methods to force five victims to engage in commercial sex acts, including one victim who was only 15 years old.

Prosecutors said Williams would often restrain or assault his victims in order to get them to comply with his demands and turn over any proceeds from the commercial sex acts.

Additionally, Williams got a 17-year-old girl, who he had repeatedly assaulted, to help him traffick victims. 

In two instances, in late 2022 and early 2023, two of the victims were able to escape after being kidnapped by Williams.

Prosecutors said on Aug. 2, 2022, Williams kidnapped a victim by luring her inside his truck before abruptly driving away. The victim, however, was able to escape by jumping from the moving vehicle.

In a second incident, on Jan. 10, 2023, Williams kidnapped another victim after trapping her inside his closet overnight before forcing her to engage in commercial sex with strangers. The victim was eventually able to escape by jumping from a second-story window before running a quarter mile to a nearby Chicago Public Library branch.

During his trial, five of Williams’ victims, including both of the kidnapping victims, testified about what they faced.

Willimas is set to return to court on Oct. 7, for sentencing. He is currently facing a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum of life.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Northern District of Illinois urges anyone who may be a victim of sexual exploitation or worries that others may be victims, to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678.