TERRE HAUTE, Ind.–A federal jury has convicted a Chicago man on multiple charges stemming from the sex trafficking of a 15-year-old girl in Terre Haute, according to court documents. Jacquez “Joc” Brown, 31, was found guilty on October 15, 2026, of Sex Trafficking of a Minor, Sexual Exploit ation of a Child, and three counts of Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material following a three-day trial. Chief U.S. District Judge James R. Sweeney, II presided over the proceedings and will determine Brown’s sentence at a later date. Emergency text led to discovery The case began on December 14, 2022, when Vigo County 911 received an emergency text message reporting that a 15-year-old girl was being prostituted by a 28-year-old man at the Super 8 Motel in Terre Haute, according to evidence presented at trial. Terre Haute Police Department officers responded to the motel and located the minor victim in a room with Brown. The investigation that followed revealed Brown compelled the child to engage in commercial sex acts for his financial benefit, court documents state. Evidence showed continued exploitation Prosecutors presented evidence showing Brown took a sexually explicit photograph of the victim during the trafficking and distributed it to numerous individuals to entice them to pay for sex with the minor. Investigators also discovered multiple advertisements depicting the victim that included nude photographs and a phone number associated with Brown. Despite police intervention on December 14, 2022, Brown continued arranging commercial sex acts involving the minor, according to trial testimony. Digital forensics linked defendant to crimes The jury heard testimony from law enforcement officers who encountered Brown and the minor victim on the day of the initial report. Prosecutors also presented text message exchanges that demonstrated the trafficking activity as it occurred. A digital forensic expert provided testimony that conclusively linked Brown to the creation and transmission of those messages and to the device used to capture and distribute the illicit images. Friends and associates of Brown and the minor victim who personally witnessed the events also provided first-hand accounts of the sex trafficking conduct. Multi-agency investigation Homeland Security Investigations and the Terre Haute Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Carolyn Haney and MaryAnn Mindrum prosecuted the case. U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked the prosecuting attorneys for their work on the case. Brown faces significant prison time on the convictions. Federal sentencing guidelines for sex trafficking of minors carry mandatory minimum sentences. ...read more read less