Simon Hessler, Child Sex Abuse and Trafficking, CT 2023

A 48-year-old Ellington man has been sentenced to nearly 29 years in federal prison after admitting to a grotesque campaign of child sexual abuse, trafficking, and the production of child pornography. Simon Hessler was handed 347 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill in Bridgeport, followed by a decade of supervised release, closing a harrowing case that exposed his calculated efforts to exploit minors.

Hessler’s crimes came to light in October 2018, when a Connecticut State Police detective, operating undercover, identified him as a potential participant in the sex trafficking of children. During online conversations, Hessler described a self-built ‘sex dungeon’ on the top floor of his office building in Vernon, equipped with a cage, stocks, handcuffs, whips, and other bondage tools. He offered to pay $500 for two days of ‘slave training’ and ‘limitless sex’ with a 12-year-old ‘DCF child’—a minor under state custody—setting in motion his own downfall.

After the undercover officer agreed to the ‘sale,’ Hessler demanded the child be left in a trailer near a Manchester hotel he operated. He required a photo of the child gagged, blindfolded, and handcuffed before revealing where the cash payment would be hidden. The detective sent a fabricated image of a bound child; Hessler then provided the money’s location. On November 13, 2018, he was arrested moments after exiting his car and approaching the trailer.

Following his arrest, investigators discovered a USB drive hidden inside a safe in Hessler’s dungeon. It contained thousands of images and videos, including child pornography and child erotica. Among them were approximately 60 images of a single female victim under the age of 12. Investigators determined that between July 2016 and November 2018, Hessler had sexually abused the minor and used a cell phone to record the abuse, creating child pornography.

Hessler pleaded guilty in federal court on December 11, 2019, to one count of production of child pornography. He also pleaded guilty in state court on December 17, 2019, to multiple charges in both the Hartford and Tolland Judicial Districts, including two counts of sex assault in the fourth degree, two counts of risk of injury, and multiple counts related to the attempted commercial sex abuse of a minor under 13, unlawful restraint, and attempt to commit intentional cruelty. Today’s federal sentencing is part of a global resolution of all charges.

Hessler has been held without bond since his arrest. His 347-month federal sentence will run concurrently with an expected 30-year state sentence. The case was investigated by the Connecticut State Police and the FBI, and prosecuted federally by Assistant U.S. Attorney Nancy V. Gifford. U.S. Attorney John H. Durham credited cooperation from the Hartford and Tolland State Attorney’s Offices. The prosecution falls under the DOJ’s Project Safe Childhood, aimed at combating child sexual exploitation. Tips can be reported at www.cybertipline.com.