§ 11-18 — Patronizing a person engaged in the sex trade

(a) Any person who knowingly performs any of the following acts with a person not his or her spouse commits patronizing a person engaged in the sex trade: (1) Engages in an act of sexual penetration as defined in Section 11-0.1 of this Code with a person engaged in the sex trade; or (2) Enters or remains in a place of prostitution with intent to engage in an act of sexual penetration as defined in Section 11-0.1 of this Code; or (3) Engages in any touching or fondling with a person engaged in the sex trade of the sex organs of one person by the other person, with the intent to achieve sexual arousal or gratification. (b) Sentence. Patronizing a person engaged in the sex trade is a Class 4 felony, unless committed within 1,000 feet of real property comprising a school, in which case it is a Class 3 felony. A person convicted of a second or subsequent violation of this Section, or of any combination of such number of convictions under this Section and Sections 11-14 (prostitution), 11-14.1 (solicitation of a sexual act), 11-14.3 (promoting prostitution), 11-14.4 (promoting commercial sexual exploitation of a child), 11-15 (soliciting for a person engaged in the sex trade), 11-15.1 (soliciting for a sexually exploited child), 11-16 (pandering), 11-17 (keeping a place of prostitution), 11-17.1 (keeping a place of commercial sexual exploitation of a child), 11-18.1 (patronizing a sexually exploited child), 11-19 (pimping), 11-19.1 (juvenile pimping or aggravated juvenile pimping), or 11-19.2 (exploitation of a child) of this Code, is guilty of a Class 3 felony. If the court imposes a fine under this subsection (b), it shall be collected and distributed to the Specialized Services for Survivors of Human Trafficking Fund in accordance with Section 5-9-1.21 of the Unified Code of Corrections. (c) (Blank).

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 103-1071, eff. 7-1-25 .)