Sheriff and feds bust 3 reputed brothels in Chicago area

Three Chicago-area brothels have been shuttered and the people who allegedly ran them have been arrested after an 11-month investigation by Cook County sheriff's investigators and federal agents, authorities said Wednesday.

On Tuesday, investigators with Sheriff Tom Dart's vice unit and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations raided apartments they believe were operating as brothels. Two of the apartments are in Chicago in the 3900 block of West Lawrence and the 4500 block of South Archer. The third apartment is in the 10000 block of Holly Lane in unincorporated Maine Township.

Authorities said the brothels had attracted a large number of "johns," with one apartment servicing at least four customers per hour, officials said.

The investigation began with a tip to HSI that foreign nationals and others were involved in prostitution in the Chicago area, a spokesman for the agency said.

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