A Chicago man, Geremy Glass, has been sentenced to 30 years in prison for sex trafficking a minor and distributing child sexual abuse material. His co-defendant, Markita Tidwell, received a 19-year sentence for conspiracy to sex traffic the minor.
Court documents reveal that in April 2022, Glass and Tidwell engaged in sex trafficking of a minor they met in Chicago. Glass was responsible for posting online advertisements, setting prices, and communicating with potential clients. Tidwell handled transportation and hotel arrangements for the encounters. Both defendants shared the proceeds from these activities.
In May 2022, they transported the victim to Tuscaloosa, Alabama, where she was forced into up to 15 commercial sex acts daily. When the victim resisted or attempted breaks, Glass resorted to physical violence. He also sent explicit images of the victim over 50 times while communicating with clients.
Law enforcement intervened after receiving a tip from hotel staff in Tuscaloosa about a young woman appearing abused. This led to the rescue of the victim and subsequent arrests of Glass and Tidwell.
Glass pleaded guilty on September 26 to charges of sex trafficking a minor by force and distribution of child pornography. His sentence includes lifetime supervised release following imprisonment. Tidwell pleaded guilty on June 27 to conspiracy charges and will have 20 years of supervised release after serving her sentence.
The announcement came from Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona for the Northern District of Alabama, and Special Agent Carlton L. Peeples of the FBI Birmingham Field Office.
The case was investigated by several agencies including FBI Birmingham’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force along with other local law enforcement departments.
Trial Attorney Gwendelynn Bills from CEOS and Assistant U.S. Attorney R. Leann White prosecuted this case as part of Project Safe Childhood—a Justice Department initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation.
For more details on Project Safe Childhood, visit www.justice.gov/psc.