Chicago Man Pleads Guilty In Fatal Sex-Trafficking Case
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A Chicago man was promised a finder's fee of a couple hundred dollars to recruit a teenage girl to work as a prostitute.
She was later murdered, allegedly by a man who paid her for sex, and now that recruiter is pleading guilty to sex trafficking, CBS 2's Dorothy Tucker reports.
Desiree Robinson was just 16 years old when she met Charles McFee, pleaded guilty Tuesday, admitting he introduced Robinson to a pimp for a finder's fee of $250.
According to his attorney, McFee didn't mean for her to end up dead.
"He felt badly about this," said Christopher Graul. "No one wants to pick up a 16-year-old girl and have her killed."
Robinson's body was found in a Markham garage in December 2016. Antonio Rosales, who allegedly paid Robinson for sex, is charged with her murder.
McFee broke down in court as prosecutors described how he took Robinson to the pimp's home and observed the pimp take photographs of her and post them on a website called backpage.com.
The pimp then agreed to pay McFee $250 but was having a hard time making the payment because Robinson, according to the pimp, was not making enough money.
"It's beyond shocking and heartbreaking to hear that this child was bought for $250," said Antonio Romanucci, who represents Robinson's mother.
Desiree Robinson's family is suing backpage.com, accusing the site of being partially responsible for her murder.