Burlington man pleads guilty to human trafficking

A Burlington man faces jail time after pleading guilty to compelling a drug-addicted woman into performing sex acts for money, court papers show.

Timothy Galloway, 46, struck a plea deal with state prosecutors Monday, and he pleaded guilty to one count of human trafficking. Five other human trafficking counts will be dismissed per the plea agreement.

Lawyers have agreed on recommending a sentence of 3 to 6 years in prison, but a judge will make the final decision on Galloway's penalty during a sentencing hearing scheduled for March 9. Judge Dennis Pearson ordered a pre-sentence investigation be completed prior to the hearing.

Attempts to reach Galloway's lawyer Jason Sawyer were not immediately successful on Thursday. Chittenden County Deputy State's Attorney Emily McCarthy wrote in an email Friday that the alleged victims provided input for the deal.

"The plea deal holds Defendant accountable, but recognizes that he took responsibility early in the case and did not subject the victims to the litigation process, " McCarthy wrote.

Galloway's arrest last June came after months of investigation by the Burlington Police Department and the Chittenden County State's Attorney's Office. A sworn police statement filed with the court states that Galloway was involved in facilitating prostitution through the website Backpage.com.

Detective Jeffrey H. Beerworth wrote in the affidavit that Galloway used threats, physical aggression and coercion of drugs to control several women. The affidavit states he took portions of the money they made and, in some cases, posted Backpage.com advertisements for them.

Galloway remains jailed for lack of $75,000 bail at the Northeast State Correctional Facility in St. Johnsbury.

Contact Elizabeth Murray at 651-4835 or emurray@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at @LizMurraySMC.

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