CHICAGO — A suburban Chicago woman has been arrested after she allegedly arranged for a child to engage in commercial sex acts with customers at hotels.
JAMARI HODGE, also known as “Hypnotic” and “Miracle,” 26, of Calumet City, Ill., is charged with one count of producing child [censored]ography. Hodge was arrested Wednesday. A detention hearing is scheduled for Dec. 6, 2021, at 12:30 p.m., before U.S. District Judge Beth W. Jantz.
The charge and arrest were announced by John R. Lausch, Jr., United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; and Emmerson Buie, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI. Valuable assistance was provided by the Lansing, Ill., Police Department, Calumet City, Ill., Police Department, and Richton Park, Ill., Police Department. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shy Jackson.
According to a criminal complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago, Hodge took sexually explicit photographs of the victim and posted them in online advertisements offering commercial sex, the complaint states. Hodge then rented hotel rooms in Illinois that were used for encounters with individuals who responded to the advertisements, the complaint states. Hodge allegedly set the prices and had the customers pay her in cash or electronic transfer after the encounters.
Production of child [censored]ography is punishable by a statutory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison and a maximum sentence of 30 years. If convicted, the Court must impose a reasonable sentence under federal statutes and the advisory U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
The public is reminded that a complaint 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.
If you believe you are a victim of sexual exploitation, you are encouraged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children by logging on to www.missingkids.com or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
