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The jury at a weeklong trial in Bridgeport that began on Tuesday, Oct. 9 found that Hartford resident Christopher Hamlett was guilty of all counts of a nine-count indictment related to the sex trafficking of minors.
Between August and November last year, Hamlett recruited and enticed two minors to engage in prostitution at hotels in Hartford and Wethersfield. In an effort to solicit clients for the girls, Hamlett took sexually explicit photos of each and submitted them to the website Backpage.
Hamlett then began to recruit a 17-year-old, saying that she could keep 60 percent of the money she made from prostitution customers, with him taking a 40 percent cut. The minor went on to see customers for three months.
Evidence at the trial included text messages between Hamlett and prostitution clients, and text messages to his victim.
While speaking to the victim, Hamlett told her how much to charge and threatened the victim when he thought she had not given him his full share of the cash.
Further evidence found that Hamlett facilitated the prostitution of a second minor victim who was then 16 years old, using Facebook Messenger to send her clients and explain particular sexual acts.
The jury found Hamlett guilty of two counts of sex trafficking of a minor, five counts of using a facility of interstate commerce to promote commercial sex and two counts of production of child pornography.
When he is sentenced, Hamlett faces a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison. He has been detained since his arrest on Feb. 8. No sentencing date has been scheduled.
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