Attorney General Kwame Raoul has announced charges against Timothy Bennett, 39, of Belvidere, Illinois, and Crystal Houston, 40, of Shannon, Illinois. The two are accused of working together to traffic three young adults in the Rockford area.
“It is truly heinous that anyone would abuse the trust of young people to instead force them into sex work,” Raoul said. “I commend our law enforcement partners for their hard work during the investigation to ensure we can help the victims receive the justice they need to begin to heal from the horrific trauma they experienced.”
Bennett faces multiple charges including six counts of involuntary servitude and one count of money laundering (Class X felonies), which carry sentences of up to 30 years in prison. He also faces 12 counts of trafficking in persons and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering (Class 1 felonies), as well as additional counts related to money laundering and promoting prostitution. Bennett is currently held at Winnebago County Jail with his next court appearance scheduled for March 19.
Houston has been charged with similar offenses: three counts of involuntary servitude and one count of money laundering (Class X felonies), along with other charges related to trafficking and conspiracy. She is already incarcerated for a separate case within the Illinois Department of Corrections. Her next court date on these new charges is April 8 in Winnebago County Circuit Court.
Sentencing decisions will be made by the court.
The investigation involved cooperation between the Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office, Rockford Police Department, and Freeport Police Department.
According to Raoul’s office, Houston met Bennett in 2019 while he was incarcerated at Winnebago County Jail for an unrelated matter. From May 2019 through May 2023, authorities allege that Bennett and Houston groomed three young adults who lived with Houston before forcing them into prostitution using threats of violence. They reportedly laundered approximately $30,000 through the jail commissary system.
Both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
Deputy Bureau Chief Megan McGuire Bachman and Assistant Attorneys General Kiran Gupta and Judy Shammo are prosecuting this case for Raoul’s Criminal Prosecution Bureau.
The Illinois Attorney General regularly works alongside law enforcement agencies throughout Illinois to support crime victims and promote open government initiatives. The office extends its advocacy efforts across vulnerable groups such as workers, immigrants, seniors, consumers, and communities statewide while offering services like consumer fraud complaint filing. In addition to addressing thousands of consumer complaints annually, it aims to protect residents’ rights and advance public safety priorities throughout Illinois.