A Chicago predator will spend the next 24 years behind bars for his heinous exploitation of children, as Daryl S. Arnold, 48, was sentenced for sex trafficking minors and forcing them into prostitution.
Using websites like Backpage, Arnold systematically advertised and sold sex acts with children, all under the age of 18, maneuvering through the underbelly of Chicago's streets, taking half the earnings for himself after the deeds were done.
Arnold had previously pleaded guilty to four counts of sex trafficking of a minor in 2022, leading up to his sentencing by U.S. District Judge Jorge L. Alonso, who also mandated that Arnold pay $136,700 in restitution to his victims, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Caught in Operation Cross Country XI, a broader initiative to combat underage human trafficking, Arnold's repellent actions were part of a wider problem, as officials like Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, along with the FBI and Chicago Police Department, intensify efforts to clamp down on such nefarious activities - they’ve determined to protect the vulnerable and to dismantle the systems that allow predators to exploit them.
"He 'sold the dream' with a false promise of independence and love," Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles W. Mulaney said in a statement, illuminating the sinister methods used by Arnold to lure and manipulate minors into a life of exploitation and abuse.
Officials encourage anyone who believes they are a victim of sexual exploitation to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or report via www.cybertipline.com.
