Joliet Man, 29, Gets 27 Years For Drugging, Sex Trafficking Women

CHICAGO — A Joliet man was sentenced last week to 27 years in federal prison for sex trafficking multiple women and at least one minor, using drugs and violence to coerce the victims, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

Kendall Guyton, 29, admitted in a plea agreement that he recruited three women to engage in commercial sex acts from 2017 to 2020. Guyton pleaded guilty last year to one count of sex trafficking by force, fraud, and coercion.

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 gave the victims illicit drugs, including heroin or cocaine, and often beat his victims to force them to comply with his demands, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

<< READ ALSO: Will County Inmate Beaten Faces Federal Sex Trafficking Crimes >>

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.

"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."

Also sentenced was co-defendant Gregory Ingram, 45, who pleaded guilty in the sex trafficking of multiple victims over the same time, including a 14-year-old he invited to live in his home while he trafficked her, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. Ingram controlled the 14-year-old victim using drugs and threats of harm.

Ingram was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison.

Assisting in the investigation were police departments from Carol Stream, Lisle, Joliet, Richton Park, Downers Grove, and the Will County Sheriff's Office.