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Charges in prostitution ring
Five additional men are charged in connection with a prostitution ring.
MILWAUKEE - 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 municipal judge
- 53-year-old Leroy Stewart, a funeral director in Oak 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.
This week, the five additional men were charged with pandering-solicitation.
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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.
Easton, a retired Kenosha County judge, told investigators he paid $200 per hour to engage in prostitution.
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All of this is part of the same investigation 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.