18-05-2025
Milwaukee prostitution crime ring; retired judge pleads guilty, fined
MILWAUKEE - One of the men charged in connection with a Milwaukee prostitution ring pleaded no contest to misdemeanor disorderly conduct charges and was fined.
In court on Monday, May 12, 2025, 77-year-old George Easton, a retired municipal judge, pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduction, and was fined a total of $1,000 ($500 per count).
He has until Nov. 12, 2025 to pay the fine.
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In April, one of the other people charged in connection with the prostitution ring was fined.
The backstory
Five additional men are charged in connection with a prostitution ring. This comes after a former Milwaukee public defender was charged for representing someone he was paying for sex.
The new charges are filed against the following:
50-year-old David Ornstein, a Milwaukee firefighter
76-year-old George Easton, a retired Kenosha County municipal judge
53-year-old Leroy Stewart, a funeral director inOak Creek
55-year-old Christopher Reigg
59-year-old William Green
Prosecutors say a prostitution ring was operating for years out of an apartment building near 29th and Kilbourn. In 2022, a woman reported it to Milwaukee police. That same woman was later convicted for keeping a place of prostitution – her attorney said she was a victim of sex trafficking.
Prosecutors say Ornstein, a firefighter, exchanged texts with prostitutes who he met up with. Milwaukee Fire Chief Aaron Lipski said he is aware of the charges – and launched an internal investigation.
Investigators say Stewart runs a funeral home in Oak Creek. Text messages show he exchanged money for sex every two to three weeks.
Reigg told police he was being blackmailed. Prosecutors say he engaged in prostitution once a week from 2021 to 2023.
Green told police he spent time at the Kilbourn apartment to take a break from his wife. Police say his phone records show text messages consistent with prostitution.
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Easton, a retired Kenosha County judge, told investigators he paid $200 per hour to engage in prostitution.
All of this is part of the same investigation in which 54-year-old Travis Schwantes is charged in. The former criminal defense lawyer is facing several felonies – including misconduct in office by falsifying records. He is also accused of representing someone that he was paying money for sex.
The Source
FOX6 originally reported on the prostitution ring with information provided by the criminal complaint. Sentencing information is publicly available on the Wisconsin Court Access Website.
