An alleged Chicago brothel operator is sentenced to probation, home confinement

CHICAGO (AP) — A 35-year-old woman who prosecutors said operated a multistate prostitution business from a three-story Chicago building that functioned like a brothel was sentenced Tuesday to probation.

Jessica Nesbitt pleaded guilty in February to a federal conspiracy charge.

U.S. District Judge Matthew Kennelly told Jessica Nesbitt she must serve nine months of her two-year probation in home confinement, news outlets reported.

“It’s difficult to look upon this as a crime that had identifiable victims who suffered significant harm,” Kennelly said.

A federal indictment unsealed in 2019 said Nesbitt took in millions of dollars through prostitution services that she and her employees provided in Illinois, California, Florida, Indiana, Nevada, Wisconsin and Washington, D.C.

Nesbitt admitted arranging prostitution services with herself and employees at rates of $300 to $1,000 per hour. She admitted in a plea agreement with prosecutors that she took in more than $1 million in payments from clients over seven years through her business, Kink Extraordinaire.

Before learning her sentence, Nesbitt told the judge she accepted “full responsibility” for her crime, and she explained that she got involved in “an alternative lifestyle at a very young age.” She said it turned into her primary method of making a living.

Nesbitt also said she’s “become well-versed in the potential harmful effects of prostitution” in the last few years.

“Whatever sentence you impose, I will comply,” Nesbitt told Kennelly.