Man Convicted of Sex Trafficking a Minor in Chicago Suburb

CHICAGO - A federal jury has convicted a man on sex trafficking charges for causing a minor to engage in commercial sex in a Chicago suburb.

KENNARD CAMERON recruited and enticed a 15-year-old girl to engage in commercial sex acts in a motel in Lansing, Ill., in 2023. Cameron had photographed the girl wearing lingerie and in the nude and then posted the photos online in commercial sex advertisements. After Cameron arranged for encounters with individuals who responded to the ads, he and a co-conspirator required the girl to turn over the proceeds to them.

Cameron, 40, of Chicago, was convicted on Wednesday of one count of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor. The jury returned its verdicts after a week-long trial in U.S. District Court in Chicago.

Cameron faces a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison and a maximum of life. U.S. District Judge John Robert Blakey set sentencing for Sept. 16, 2026.

The conviction was announced by Andrew S. Boutros, 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. The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jennifer Chang and Caitlin Walgamuth.

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 https://www.missingkids.comLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. or by calling 1-800-843-5678. The service is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.