Man found guilty of trying to pay for sex with minor in Aurora

A 29-year-old man was found guilty Tuesday of trying to pay to have sex with a minor during a 2015 sting in west suburban Aurora.

Anthone J. Caradine of Romeoville was convicted by a Kane County judge of involuntary sexual servitude of a minor, traveling to meet a minor, grooming, and solicitation of a sexual act, all felonies, according to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office. He had waived his right to a jury trial.

During Caradine’s trial, which lasted a single day, prosecutors showed that that he drove to an Aurora hotel on March 27, 2015, and met with a person he believed to be the mother of two minor girls, prosecutors said.

During the meeting, Caradine confirmed to the woman that he wanted to pay $150 for sexual favors from a girl. He was then arrested by Aurora police and officers from Homeland Security Investigations.

No minor was present or had any contact with Caradine during the sting, prosecutors said.

Caradine had been free on a $4,000 bond, which was revoked following the conviction, prosecutors said. He is is now being held at the Kane County Jail awaiting a Nov. 29 sentencing. He faces between 6 and 30 years in prison.

“Human trafficking–child sex exploitation–is unconscionable but prevalent, even in Kane County,” State’s Attorney Joe McMahon said in a statement. “Our office has prosecuted many of these cases in recent years. Law enforcement at all levels is committed to wiping out child exploitation, targeting both the supply and the demand.

“Individuals who seek to have sex with children will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law,” he said.