Normal man sentenced to 10 years for child sex trafficking

Jul. 30—PEORIA — A 29-year-old Normal man was sentenced last week in federal court to 10 years in prison for trafficking a minor for sex in Peoria.

A press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office Central District of Illinois said Jahquan Howard received his sentence Thursday, July 21, before U.S. District Court Judge James Shadid.

The report stated that in April 2019, Howard trafficked a minor into prostitution. Prosecutors said the man rented hotel rooms in the Peoria area, took a girl to the rooms and gave her controlled substances. He also used online advertisements to solicit men to have sex with the girl in the hotel rooms, and then collected payment.

U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Harris stated in the news release that his office has zero tolerance for sex traffickers and will work tirelessly to bring them to justice.

Shannon Fontenot, special agent in charge for the Federal Bureau of Investigations Springfield Office, also stated the FBI is continuing daily efforts to shut down sex traffickers. Fontenot said the bureau is committed to providing resources to victims hurt by these crimes.

Howard was indicted in February 2020 and pleaded guilty in April of this year. He has stayed in custody with the U.S. Marshals Service. After release from prison, he will serve 10 years of supervised release.

The release stated that statutory penalties for sex trafficking range from 10 years to life imprisonment.

The Bloomington Police Department and the FBI's Springfield Field Office investigated the case with help from the McLean County State's Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Keith Hollingshead-Cook prosecuted the case.

The prosecution was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a U.S. Department of Justice program to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. It directs federal, state and local resources to enhance the identification, apprehension and prosecution of those who exploit children on the internet, and to rescue their victims.

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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