NJ mom and boyfriend turned teen babysitter into slave sex worker, cops say

A Burlington County couple has been accused of using hard drugs and threats of violence to force a 17-year-old girl into having sex with men for money.

State prosecutors say the teenager initially went to the home of a Mount Holly woman thinking she would be hired as a babysitting for her two children. Instead, the woman and her boyfriend turned her into a sex slave, the girl later told cops.

Adria Regn, 27, and Christopher K. White, 19, of Eastampton, are facing 20 years to life in prison if convicted on human trafficking charges.

After the teenager escaped, she told cops that the two forced her to trade sex for cash at various hotels in Burlington County during a 10-day period in October.

During a three to four-day stay at a motel in Wrightstown, she was forced to have sex with as many as five men a day, she said. The couple stayed in the same hotels and kept all the money, authorities say.

The ordeal finally ended when the teenager managed to flee a hotel while the couple slept.

The couple are accused of plying her with crystal methamphetamine and threatening to beat her up. They even appealed to her conscience, telling her that Regn's children would end up on the street if she did not make money as an "escort," she told police.

Authorities did not disclose the relationship of the girl to either defendant.

This is the latest human trafficking arrest involving a teenager in New Jersey. Also this month, authorities in Somerset County made two separate arrests of adults accused of forcing teens into sex work.

Like many such cases, this couple posted ads on Backpage.com, officials said.

Last year, 193 sex trafficking cases were reported in New Jersey. A state lawmaker has introduced a bill to draft hotels, motels and truck drivers into the war on human trafficking. The proposal would require training to learn the tell-tale signs of trafficking.

“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,” Attorney General Christopher Porrino said Friday about the Burlington case. “It’s terrible for anyone to be exploited in this manner, but it’s especially heartbreaking when the victim is so young and vulnerable.”

White, who was arrested Monday, has been charged with human trafficking of a minor, human trafficking by receiving money for organizing or managing a scheme of human trafficking, human trafficking by providing a controlled dangerous substance, and promoting prostitution of a minor — all first-degree crimes.

Regn, who was arrested Thursday, has been charged with human trafficking of a minor, conspiracy to commit human trafficking of a minor, and promoting prostitution of a minor — all first-degree crimes.

Prosecutors said the pair may also face charges for posting nude pictures of the teen online.

Sergio Bichao is deputy digital editor at New Jersey 101.5. Send him news tips: Call 609-359-5348 or email sergio.bichao@townsquaremedia.com.

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