Plea Hearing Set For Hartford Sex-Trafficker

(Hartford) A Hartford man facing sex trafficking-related offenses connected to two Dodge County strip clubs will be in a federal courtroom for a plea hearing on October 3. Christopher Childs was indicted on seven counts in April of last year.

According to online court records, he will plead to one of the charges: Sex Trafficking By Force, Fraud or Coercion. The charge alleges that Childs “did knowingly recruit, entice, harbor and transport…the [victim] in reckless disregard of the fact that…such means would be used to cause the [victim] to engage in commercial sex acts.”

According to the criminal complaint, four women wereforced to dance at the strip clubs for no pay and perform sexual acts for money that went entirely to Childs. The 46-year-old reportedly controlled the victims phone usage, told them what they could eat, took all of the money the victims made and would violently beat them if they failed to comply.

The complaint states that the prostitution occurred, among other places, inside the now-defunct TNT Gentlemen’s Club in Lebanon and the Hardware Store in Clyman.

The plea agreement indicates that Childs would serve a minimum term of 15 years in prison and a maximum life prison sentence with a maximum three years of supervised release and no more than $250-thousand dollars in fines. The remaining counts would be dismissed.