Gordon Newkirk, 63, of Hartford, was found guilty October 7 of five trafficking-in-persons counts and two prostitution-promotion counts, according to the Hartford Judicial District state’s attorney’s October 8 release.
The promotion convictions comprised one first-degree and one third-degree count. Judge Courtney M. Chaplin presided over the Superior Court trial.
The investigation began after a September 27, 2023 call to Bloomfield police reporting an altercation, the prosecutor’s office said. Investigators subsequently identified online advertising for sexual services.
According to the release, Bloomfield police and a regional human-trafficking task force found that Newkirk provided housing to women and required them to take sexual appointments he arranged. Details identifying victims are omitted.
Sentencing is scheduled for December 9 in Hartford Superior Court. The jury verdict is confirmed by the prosecutor’s announcement; a sentence has not been verified.
This statewide case report relies on the official release and does not present an arrest allegation as the same procedural stage as a jury conviction.