From the Kane County State’s Attorney:
SIX MEN DETAINED PRE-TRIAL IN MULTI-COUNTY HUMAN EXPLOITATION INVESTIGATION
The Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office successfully argued today for the pretrial detention of six defendants arrested last week and charged with allegedly running brothels in Aurora, Rockford, South Elgin, and West Dundee.
Prosecutors in court today also revealed that a fifth suspected brothel had been discovered in Hanover Park during the arrest operation.
The investigation was led by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office Human Exploitation Unit and took place over 15 months, culminating in a multi-jurisdictional arrest operation on July 16, 2026, during which all six defendants were apprehended.
Three women were recovered and offered services and resources by victim advocates and medical personnel on site.
The six defendants are charged with allegedly operating and profiting from illegal brothels.
According to the allegations, the defendants controlled apartments used as brothels, collected and transferred proceeds, cleaned and maintained the apartments, transported victims, installed home security cameras to facilitate the operation of the brothels, and received up to $400 per week as compensation.
The charges further allege that some defendants used fraudulent identification to obtain leases for apartments that were subsequently used as brothels.
One alleged brothel in West Dundee was located less than 600 feet from a K–8 school, while another alleged brothel in Rockford was located near an elementary school.
Prosecutors argued that no conditions of release could mitigate the danger the defendants posed to the community.
Circuit Court Judge D.J. Tegeler ordered all six men detained in the Kane County jail while their cases are pending.
The investigation and arrest operation were led by the Kane County State’s Attorney’s Office Human Exploitation Unit in partnership with the
- Aurora Police Department,
- Belvidere Police Department,
- DHS Homeland Security Investigations,
- Elgin Police Department,
- Hanover Park Police Department,
- Illinois State Police,
- Kane County Sheriff’s Office,
- Rockford Police Department,
- South Elgin Police Department,
- West Chicago Police Department,
- West Dundee Police Department, and
- Woodstock Police Department.
Additional partners included Baker Memorial United Methodist Church of St. Charles, the Community Crisis Center, the Kane County Health Department, Mutual Ground, Illinois Coalition Against Domestic Violence, Naomi’s House, One Collective, Refuge for Women, and the Winnebago County State’s Attorney’s Office.
One Collective, based in Elgin, donated money for food for the victims recovered from the brothels, and Chicken Salad Chick in Batavia also donated food. Nurses from RUSH Copley, working through the Kane County Health Department, assisted the victims. Baker Memorial United Methodist Church provided accommodations for one of the victims.
Court dates for the scheduling of preliminary hearings have been set for 9 a.m. in Courtroom 313 of the Kane County Judicial Center as follows:
• July 30, 2026 – Gustavo A. Perez Cardoza, 35, of Aurora
• August 12, 2026 – Hugo F. Jaimes-Ramirez, 43, of Aurora
• August 13, 2026 – Ricardo Hernandez Lux, 33, of Elgin
• August 19, 2026 – Delfino Torres-Navarro, 59, of Hanover Park
• August 21, 2026 – Abisahit Del Angel Hernandez, 40, of Woodstock
• August 21, 2026 – Kenneth E. Figueroa Castro, 29, of Belvidere
The charges against the defendants are not proof of guilt. They are presumed innocent and are entitled to a fair trial in which it is the state’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
