50-year sentence in Chicago sex trafficking case

Federal prosecutors in Chicago say a convicted sex trafficker has been sentenced to 50 years in prison for forcing women and girls to work as prostitutes.

The Chicago Tribune reports that 24-year-old Datqunn Sawyer was sentenced on Thursday in Chicago federal court. A federal jury convicted Sawyer in November. Prosecutors say he victimized homeless, runaway or mentally ill women and girls. They say one girl was only 12 years old.

Sawyer cried during the sentencing hearing when he told the judge he didn’t know the girls were underage. Three victims testified at the sentencing about physical and emotional abuse.