An Iowa man already charged with sex trafficking case was ordered held without bond Thursday on new allegations that he trafficked a teenage girl in the Chicago area.
Ferid Mahalbasic of Waterloo, Iowa, is accused of bringing a 17-year-old girl to Chicago last December and forcing her to perform sex acts for money, the Cook County state’s attorney’s office said.
He brought the girl from Iowa knowing she was underage, then posted an ad featuring her photos on Backpage.com, a statement from prosecutors claims.
After she performed a sex act on another person in a South Side hotel room, Mahalbasic took the money and marijuana she was paid, and threatened to leave her alone in Chicago if she didn’t follow his orders, prosecutors said.
The girl had no money, identification or phone, prosecutors claim. He drove her back to Iowa a few days later.
Mahalbasic, 18, is charged with involuntary sexual servitude of a minor and was ordered held without bond at a hearing Thursday, according to the state’s attorney’s office. He will next appear in court March 24.
He pleaded not guilty to similar charges in another Cook County case from January, the state’s attorney’s office said.
In that case, Mahalbasic is accused of advertising two teenage girls on Backpage.com, authorities said. He allegedly threatened to expose their sexual activities online if they didn’t comply with his demands, prosecutors said.
