DANBURY, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut businessman has been sentenced to 10 years in prison in connection with what prosecutors called a human trafficking ring that for more than two decades preyed on young men who were mentally ill and intellectually disabled. A state judge in Danbury sentenced Bruce Bemer on Monday. A jury found the 65-year-old Glastonbury resident guilty in April of several counts of patronizing victims of human trafficking. Bemer, who owns the New London-Waterford Speedbowl racetrack, was expected to post a $750,000 bond that would allow him to remain free while he appeals his convictions. Bemer admitted he patronized prostitutes, but denied any role in human trafficking.
His appeal is expected to include arguments that the judge's instructions to the jury were flawed. Two other men were convicted in the case.
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