Hartford Man Guilty of Sex Trafficking Minors, Child Pornography Offenses

John H. Durham, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut announced that a federal jury in Bridgeport has found CHRISTOPHER HAMLETT, also known as “Cadi” and “Cadillac Black,” 25, of Hartford, with multiple federal offenses related to the sex trafficking of minors.

A trial before U.S. District Judge Victor A. Bolden began on October 9 and the jury returned guilty verdicts on all counts of a nine-count indictment this morning.

When he is sentenced, HAMLETT faces a mandatory minimum term of imprisonment of 15 years and a maximum term of imprisonment of life.  A sentencing date is not scheduled.

According to the evidence at trial, between August and November 2017, HAMLETT recruited and enticed two minor female victims to engage in prostitution at hotels in Hartford and Wethersfield.  In order to solicit clients for the minors, HAMLETT took sexually explicit photographs of each minor and submitted them to the website Backpage.

HAMLETT began to recruit a 17-year-old minor into prostitution during their first meeting.  HAMLETT agreed that the minor victim could keep 60 percent of the money she made from prostitution customers, and he would take 40 percent.  The minor victim saw customers for approximately three months.  The evidence at trial included text messages between HAMLETT and prostitution clients, and text messages from HAMLETT to the minor victim.  In the text messages to the minor victim, HAMLETT told the victim how much to charge, and threatened the victim when he thought she had not given him his full share of the money.

The trial evidence also showed 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.

HAMLETT also posted Backpage advertisements for an adult woman who worked for him in prostitution.

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.

HAMLETT has been detained since his arrest on February 8, 2018.

This matter was investigated by the Hartford Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nancy V. Gifford and Sarala V. Nagala.