A Wonder Lake, Illinois man will spend more than two decades behind bars for trafficking a teenage girl for commercial sex. Jose Puga, 52, entered a guilty plea two weeks ago in Lake County Circuit Court to involuntary sexual servitude of a minor and aggravated criminal sexual abuse, and a judge sentenced him to 22 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
The case stretches back to July 2019, when Puga's co-defendant, Sheila E. Johnston, was arrested during an undercover Lake County Sheriff's Office operation at a Waukegan hotel, according to CBS News Chicago. Johnston had offered both herself and the 15-year-old victim for money to an undercover detective posing as a client, the station reported, and she was later sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for her role in the trafficking scheme.
Guardian Turned Trafficker
Johnston, who was 33 at the time of her arrest, had previously held legal guardianship over the teenage victim, according to Lake and McHenry County Scanner. She posted online ads offering the child for commercial sex, the outlet reported, turning a position of trust into a tool for exploitation.
Puga wasn't charged until March 2025 — nearly six years after Johnston's arrest — when a joint investigation by the Lake County Sheriff's Special Investigations Group and the FBI Chicago Field Office turned up new evidence and witness statements linking him to the crimes, according to Cardinal News. Puga turned himself in at the Lake County Jail on March 25, 2025, after an arrest warrant was issued, the outlet reported.
A Survivor's Impact Statement
At Puga's sentencing hearing, Lake County State's Attorney Eric Rinehart praised the survivor for delivering what he called a "powerful" victim impact statement, according to Daily Herald. Rinehart said her cooperation was essential to holding Puga accountable, the paper reported, echoing local officials' broader emphasis that survivor bravery is critical to prosecuting human trafficking cases.
Immediately after Johnston's 2019 arrest, the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services placed the 15-year-old victim into protective custody and moved her to a safe shelter, per Lake and McHenry County Scanner. State agencies stepped in as soon as law enforcement made the arrest, the outlet noted, underscoring how quickly protective measures followed the sting.
What Comes After Prison
Once Puga completes his sentence, he'll serve 18 months of mandatory supervised release and must register for life as a sex offender under Illinois law, according to CBS News Chicago.
That registration requirement applies to Class X sex convictions, according to Justia Law, which classifies involuntary sexual servitude of a minor involving commercial sex acts as a Class X felony carrying a prison term of six to 30 years under 720 ILCS 5/10-9.
Illinois's Broader Fight Against Trafficking
The case fits into a wider pattern documented statewide. In 2024, the National Human Trafficking Hotline received 792 signals from Illinois, identifying 385 cases and 627 victims — including 83 minors — with hotels and online platforms named as the most common venues for sex trafficking, according to a press release from State Representative Tom Weber. Illinois enacted the Trauma-Informed Response to Human Trafficking Act in 2025 to improve youth screening and agency coordination, the release noted.
Statewide, the Illinois State Police also runs a specialized Illinois Trafficking Enforcement Group that coordinates multi-agency stings targeting commercial sex networks involving minors across suburban and downstate counties, as Hoodline has previously reported near Galesburg.
