Man given 62 additional charges in Cape Fear Escorts human trafficking investigation

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WECT) - The New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that a man has been given additional charges in a human trafficking investigation involving over 150 victims.

“On 05/23/2023, the Coastal Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force served Christopher Todd Evans with an additional 62 counts of Human Trafficking related to an ongoing investigation. Evans has now been charged with 229 felonies related to an illegitimate company he operated called Cape Fear Escorts. His bond is now set at 4.5 million dollars,” the NHCSO wrote in a release.

The Coastal Carolina Human Trafficking Task Force, which the NHCSO is a part of, has charged six people in relation to the investigation. Five arrests were announced on Wednesday, April 26, and the sixth suspect was taken into custody the next day.

Cape Fear Escorts under investigation for at least 15 years, prosecutor says more suspects in human trafficking string likely

“The charges were related to the criminal activity of Cape Fear Escorts/Entertainers. Cape Fear Escorts/Entertainers would recruit victims by promising them thousands of dollars for dancing, but would, in turn, have the victims engage in commercial sex and took proceeds from it. All these incidents took place in the New Hanover County Area,” states the announcement from the NHCSO.

Those charged include:

• Christopher Todd Evans was charged with 229 felonies related to human trafficking and narcotics violations. $4.5 million Dollar Bond
• Christopher Slate Arrowood was charged with 80 felony counts of promotion and profiting from prostitution. $750,000 Bond
• Chandler David Anderson was charged with 66 felony counts of promotion and profiting from prostitution.
• Dustin Lee Anderson was charged with 16 felony counts of promotion and profiting from prostitution. $65,000 Bond
• Michael Hunter Snow was charged with six felony counts of promotion and profiting from prostitution. $50,000 Bond
• Jesse Earl Bright was charged with four felony counts of promotion and profiting from prostitution. $60,000 Bond

Bright, who is listed as an attorney on his LinkedIn page, went viral in 2017 when he filmed a traffic stop in Wilmington. The officer involved wrongly told Bright that he wasn’t allowed to film law enforcement.

Bright also was involved in an assault caught on video in January 2019.

The NHCSO says the investigation is ongoing and asks anyone with information to contact them by calling 910-798-4200 or submit an anonymous tip online at https://www.nhcgov.com/1066/Submit-a-Crime-Tip.

“The Coastal Carolina Human Trafficking Task consists of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office, Onslow County Sheriff’s Office, Jacksonville Police Department, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Homeland Security Investigations, North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations, North Carolina Probation and was assisted by the Durham Police Department,” states the announcement.

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