Burlington County Couple Forced Teen Girl Into Prostitution, Authorities Say

A Burlington County couple is accused of forcing a 17-year-old girl to engage in prostitution at area motels for their profit, authorities said on Friday. Christopher K. White, 19, of Eastampton, and 27-year-old Adria Regn, of Mount Holly, are accused of posting nude photos of the girl on backpage.com. They advertised her services as an “escort” and had her snort crystal methamphetamine with them while they had her working as a prostitute, according to Attorney General Christopher S. Porrino.

White is charged with first-degree human trafficking of a minor, first-degree human trafficking by receiving money for organizing or managing a scheme of human trafficking, first-degree human trafficking by providing a controlled dangerous substance, and first-degree promoting prostitution of a minor. The first two charges carry a sentence of 20 years to life in state prison, including 20 years without possibility of parole.

Regn is charged with first-degree human trafficking of a minor, first-degree conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor, and first-degree promoting prostitution of a minor. She also faces a potential sentence of 20 years to life in state prison, including 20 years of parole ineligibility, if convicted of the human trafficking charge.

The other first-degree charges each carry a sentence of 10 to 20 years in state prison. Both White and Regn will likely face additional charges for allegedly posting nude photos of the 17-year-old victim on the internet. The investigation is ongoing.

White and Regn will be prosecuted by the Division of Criminal Justice Gangs and Organized Crime Bureau, Human Trafficking Unit.

White was arrested on May 22 by the Mount Holly Police Department. Three days later, his girlfriend Regn was arrested, also by Mount Holly police. They are being detained at the Burlington County Jail.

“This is a classic case of human trafficking where these defendants allegedly trapped an underage girl in dehumanizing circumstances in which they gave her drugs and forced her to have sex with multiple men per day,” Porrino said. “It’s terrible for anyone to be exploited in this manner, but it’s especially heartbreaking when the victim is so young and vulnerable.”

The Burlington County Prosecutor’s Office, Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, initiated and led the investigation, with assistance from the New Jersey State Police, Pemberton Township Police Department, Division of Criminal Justice and Mount Holly Police.

“I would like to commend the staff of our Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Unit, and our partners from the local and state law enforcement agencies that participated in the investigation, for their dedicated police work in bringing this couple to justice,” Burlington County Prosecutor Scott A. Coffina said. “We look forward to working closely with the Attorney General’s Office to support their prosecution of these individuals for their despicable acts of exploitation of this young girl.”

The investigation began after the alleged victim reported that she was being forced by White and Regn to work as a prostitute for 10 days in October at various motels where they lived in Burlington County.

Regn has two young children, and the victim, who knew White, went to the first motel believing she would be babysitting the children, police said.

Instead, she told police White and Regn gave her drugs including crystal methamphetamine and marijuana, and told her that she needed to work as an “escort” for them so that they could make money.

They are alleged to have told her that if she did not work for them, it would be her fault if Regn’s children ended up on the street.

At one point, the victim says White told her he would find her and beat her if she did not continue to work for them as a prostitute.

White and Regn placed a number of ads on backpage.com with photos of the victim in various states of undress, including completely nude, police said. They advertised her as an escort.

White and Regn stayed in the same room as the victim or an adjoining room, and arranged for clients to meet with her for sex, police said. The victim said they collected all the money, and didn’t give her any of it.

During a three- or four-day stay at a motel in Wrightstown, the victim claims White and Regn made her have sex with at least five men each day.

The victim said she eventually escaped while White and Regn slept.

“Our Human Trafficking Unit will continue to work with law enforcement partners throughout the state to rescue victims of human trafficking and ensure that those responsible for these deplorable crimes are aggressively prosecuted,” said Director Elie Honig of the Division of Criminal Justice. “We urge anyone who sees a child or teenager in suspicious circumstances to call our confidential human trafficking hotline.”

Porrino and Honig urged anyone who suspects human trafficking to report it by calling the Division of Criminal Justice’s Human Trafficking Hotline 855-END-NJ-HT.

The attached images of Christopher White and Adria Regn were provided by the Attorney General’s Office.