Sex Trafficker Sentenced to 27 Years in Federal Prison

CHICAGO - A Joliet, Ill. man has been sentenced to 27 years in federal prison for sex trafficking and facilitating the sex trafficking of multiple women.

KENDALL GUYTON admitted in a plea agreement that he recruited three women to engage in commercial sex acts from 2017 to 2020. Guyton admitted that he advertised commercial sex acts online and arranged for the victims to meet individuals in various locations in the Chicago area. He provided the victims with illicit drugs, including heroin or cocaine, and often beat his victims to force them to comply with his demands.

At sentencing, the government presented evidence that Guyton facilitated the trafficking of at least five other victims, including a minor, by beating and sexually assaulting them.

Guyton, 29, pleaded guilty last year to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion. U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis imposed the 27-year sentence on Thursday during a hearing in federal court in Chicago.

A co-defendant, GREGORY INGRAM, 45, of Richton Park, Ill., also pleaded guilty to his role in the trafficking of multiple victims, including a minor whom he invited to live in his home while he trafficked her. Ingram controlled the 14-year-old victim using drugs and threats of harm. Judge Ellis in May sentenced Ingram to 20 years in federal prison.

The sentences were announced by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, and Douglas S. DePodesta, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Carol Stream, Ill. Police Department, Lisle, Ill. Police Department, Will County, Ill. Sheriff's Office, Joliet Police Department, Richton Park Police Department, and Downers Grove, Ill. Police Department.

"Defendant's crimes were incredibly serious and had long-lasting impacts on his victims," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christine M. O'Neill and Prashant Kolluri argued in the government's sentencing memorandum in Guyton's case. "Defendant knew these women were vulnerable and he preyed upon these vulnerabilities."

If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by calling 1-800-843-5678 or logging on to http://www.missingkids.com. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.