Tattoo artist facing new charges while out on bond for allegedly sexually assaulting clients

A Chicago Lawn tattoo artist has been charged with sexually assaulting a teen girl and two women who went to his home to get tattoos while he was out on bond for allegedly sexually assaulting other female clients.

Miguel DeLeon, 49, was denied bail during a hearing Wednesday before Judge David Kelly on charges of criminal sexual assault, attempted criminal sexual assault, aggravated criminal sexual abuse and unlawful restraint in the incidents.

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In all three cases, DeLeon was contacted through Facebook for tattoos and told the clients they had to come to his home alone due to the coronavirus pandemic, Cook County prosecutors said.

At the time, DeLeon was out of jail on a $5,000 bond while facing two sexual assault cases for allegedly attacking two women in 2014 and in 2018 when they went to his home to get tattoos, having also contacted him through Facebook.

DeLeon’s home in the 6500 block of South Francisco Avenue is not a licensed business for tattooing, according to a spokesman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Chicago police

In April last year, prosecutors said DeLeon was contacted by a 17-year-old girl who wanted to get a tattoo in memory of her grandmother and had the consent of her mother to receive the tattoo. The girl was told to come alone to the appointment, during which DeLeon allegedly sexually assaulted her.

The girl called her brother after leaving, and he contacted police, prosecutors said.

In two other instances, in August 2021 and August last year, DeLeon is accused of fondling two women during appointments.

None of the clients knew DeLeon previously and all three identified him in police photo arrays, prosecutors said. He was placed in custody Monday, according to court records.

DeLeon denies the charges, his defense attorney Robert Cotter told Judge Kelly during the hearing. Cotter said DeLeon was expected to go to trial on the 2018 cases next week and added that his client had shown up to all his hearings.

Kelly accepted prosecutor’s motion to hold DeLeon without bail on the new charges and revoked his bond in the previous cases pending a hearing before his assigned judge later this week.

His next hearing on the latest charges was set for Feb. 21.