Milwaukee human trafficking case; docs show possible abuse pattern
A Milwaukee man is accused of running a human trafficking operation.
Prosecutors said he kept women in his home, assaulted them, forced them to have sex against their will and made them change their last names.
Court records show the 38-year-old real estate broker has a complicated past.
MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee real estate broker accused of running a human trafficking operation made his first court appearance on Friday, and new documents show a possible pattern of abuse.
From divorce proceedings to restraining orders that were ultimately dismissed, court records show 38-year-old Austin Chronister has a complicated past when it comes to romantic relationships.
FREE DOWNLOAD: Get breaking news alerts in the FOX LOCAL Mobile app for iOS or Android
The backstory
Prosecutors said Chronister kept women in his home, assaulted them, forced them to have sex against their will and made them change their last names.
According to a criminal complaint, Chronister would throw BDSM parties at his State Street home where one woman described an alleged sex dungeon in the basement.
Dig deeper
FOX6 News dug into Chronister's past and uncovered divorce proceedings that showed he and his now ex-wife split in 2022 after 10 years of marriage. During that time, his wife was found guilty of stabbing him in the leg during a disagreement.
Records show Chronister's ex-wife is listed on financial records as owning a business with a woman named Christin Saint Pierre. Saint Pierre has not been charged but was named in the complaint.
FOX6 News tried to talk to Saint Pierre on Thursday. She said: "No comment." In court, Chronister's defense argued for him and Saint Pierre to have third-party contact because "they were basically almost in a common-law marriage."
SIGN UP TODAY: Get daily headlines, breaking news emails from FOX6 News
Documents show at least one of the women Chronister is accused of assaulting previously filed restraining orders in 2020 and 2021. She claimed Chronister stabbed her in the shoulder with a needle and injected an unknown substance. She said he told her she would be able to understand words but not be able to speak.
The woman declined to speak on camera but told FOX6 News the experience was traumatic.
What's next
Chronister's bond was set at $75,000, and he's due back in court next week. He is ordered to have no contact with at least three people.
The Source
Information in this report is from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office and Wisconsin Circuit Court.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
a day ago
- Forbes
You Must Stop These Calls On Your iPhone Or Android Phone
Do not take these calls. Smartphone users are at risk from criminals 'capitalizing on fear and intimidation,' the FBI warns, as a malicious new attack surges. All iPhone and Android users are now told: 'Be wary of answering phone calls from numbers you do not recognize.' The attack is as simple as it is devious. Criminals pretend to be federal agents or police officers and then work up a scam that ultimately demands payment to avoid an arrest or court appearance or jury duty or worse. And victims fall for it. 'Because nobody wants to be the subject of a law enforcement investigation,' the FBI says. We have seen such attacks across the U.S., but the latest warning comes from Boston, where the FBI issued a statement assuring citizens that 'law enforcement and federal agencies do not call individuals threatening arrest or demanding money.' Increasingly these attacks make use of spoofed phone numbers, which can make it appear that the call is coming from an FBI field office or similar. As ever, smartphone users are told not to engage or react. Hang-up, and if you have any doubts whether it's a scam, you should call the authorities independently to check. Impersonation scams are soaring Ted Docks, the bureau's SAIC in Boston, told local media: 'We've seen an increase in these scams which is why we're reminding the public to resist the urge to act immediately and verify who is actually contacting you.' This is a nationwide threat. In a separate warning, the FBI's Charlotte NC field office has warned that citizens are being called to be told they have missed jury duty and are now subject to a federal arrest warrant. 'Legitimate arrest warrants are not emailed or texted,' the bureau said in a statement. 'They are served by a law enforcement officer or court official and never include a demand for payment to avoid jail time,' The FBI's advice is simple: 'Trust your instincts and hang up on callers who make you feel pressured or uncomfortable.' The fact these impersonation scams are surging tells you they're working. And while readers of cybersecurity articles are more scam-aware than most, the real threat is to the less technically savvy and especially to the elderly. It's worth warning those around you that might be vulnerable to such attacks.
Forbes
5 days ago
- Forbes
FBI Warning To 10 Million Android Users — Disconnect Your Devices Now
Discconnect now, FBI warns 10 million Android users. Update, July 26, 2025: This story, originally published on July 25, has been updated with a statement from the researchers which initially disclosed and disrupted the BadBox 2.0 operation that the FBI and Google are tackling head-on. In March, I reported that one of the largest botnets of its kind ever detected had impacted over a million Android devices. That massive attack was known as BadBox, but it has now been eclipsed by BadBox 2.0, with at least 10 million Android devices infected. Google has taken action to protect users as best it can, as well as launching legal action against the attackers, and the FBI has urged impacted users to disconnect their devices from the internet. Here's what you need to know. The FBI, Google And Others Warn Of Android BadBox 2.0 Attacks The FBI cybersecurity alert, I-060525-PSA, could not have been clearer: ongoing attacks are targeting everything from streaming devices, digital picture frames, third-party aftermarket automobile infotainment systems and other assorted home smart devices. The devices, all low-cost and uncertified, mostly originating in China, allow attackers to access your home network and beyond by, the FBI warned, 'configuring the product with malicious software prior to the user's purchase.' It has also been noted, however, that mandatory 'software updates' during the installation process can also install a malicious backdoor. Point Wild's Threat Intelligence Lat61 Team reverse-engineered the BadBox 2 infection chain and, as a result, uncovered new indicators of compromise that have been shared with global Computer Emergency Response Teams, as well as law enforcement. 'This Android-based malware is pre-installed in the firmware of low-cost IoT devices, smart TVs, TV boxes, tablets, before they even leave the factory,' Kiran Gaikwad from the LAT61 team said, 'It silently turns them into residential proxy nodes for criminal operations like click fraud, credential stuffing, and covert command and control (C2) routing.' Google, meanwhile, confirmed in a July 17 statement that it had 'filed a lawsuit in New York federal court against the botnet's perpetrators.' Google also said that it has 'updated Google Play Protect, Android's built-in malware and unwanted software protection, to automatically block BadBox-associated apps.' Human Security Behind Initial BadBox 2.0 Disclosure And Disruption Human Security, whose Satori Threat Intelligence and Research Team originally both disclosed and disrupted the BadBox 2.0 threat campaign, said at the time that researchers believed 'several threat actor groups participated in BadBox 2.0, each contributing to parts of the underlying infrastructure or the fraud modules that monetize the infected devices, including programmatic ad fraud, click fraud, proxyjacking, and creating and operating a botnet across 222 countries and territories.' If nothing else, that provides some context to the scale of this campaign. Now, Stu Solomon, the Human Security CEO, has issued the following statement: 'We applaud Google's decisive action against the cybercriminals behind the BadBox 2.0 botnet our team uncovered. This takedown marks a significant step forward in the ongoing battle to secure the internet from sophisticated fraud operations that hijack devices, steal money, and exploit consumers without their knowledge. Human's mission is to protect the integrity of the digital ecosystem by disrupting cybercrime at scale, and this effort exemplifies the power of collective defense. We're proud to have been deeply involved in this operation, working in close partnership with Google, TrendMicro, and the Shadowserver Foundation. Their collaboration has been invaluable in helping us expose and dismantle this threat.' FBI Recommendations And Mitigations — Disconnect Your Devices Now The FBI has recommended that Android users should be on the lookout for a number of potential clues that your Chinese-manufactured smart device could be infected with BadBox 2.0 malware. When it comes to mitigation, the advice is straightforward: users should 'consider disconnecting suspicious devices from their networks,' the FBI said.
Forbes
6 days ago
- Forbes
FBI Warning To 10 Million Android Users — Disconnect From Internet Now
Discconnect now, FBI warns 10 million Android users. In March, I reported that one of the largest botnets of its kind ever detected had impacted over a million Android devices. That massive attack was known as BadBox, but it has now been eclipsed by BadBox 2.0, with at least 10 million Android devices infected. Google has taken action to protect users as best it can, as well as launching legal action against the attackers, and the FBI has urged impacted users to disconnect their devices from the internet. Here's what you need to know. The FBI, Google And Others Warn Of Android BadBox 2.0 Attacks The FBI cybersecurity alert, I-060525-PSA, could not have been clearer: ongoing attacks are targeting everything from streaming devices, digital picture frames, third-party aftermarket automobile infotainment systems and other assorted home smart devices. The devices, all low-cost and uncertified, mostly originating in China, allow attackers to access your home network and beyond by, the FBI warned, 'configuring the product with malicious software prior to the user's purchase.' It has also been noted, however, that mandatory 'software updates' during the installation process can also install a malicious backdoor. Point Wild's Threat Intelligence Lat61 Team reverse-engineered the BadBox 2 infection chain and, as a result, uncovered new indicators of compromise that have been shared with global Computer Emergency Response Teams, as well as law enforcement. 'This Android-based malware is pre-installed in the firmware of low-cost IoT devices, smart TVs, TV boxes, tablets, before they even leave the factory,' Kiran Gaikwad from the LAT61 team said, 'It silently turns them into residential proxy nodes for criminal operations like click fraud, credential stuffing, and covert command and control (C2) routing.' Google, meanwhile, confirmed in a July 17 statement that it had 'filed a lawsuit in New York federal court against the botnet's perpetrators.' Google also said that it has 'updated Google Play Protect, Android's built-in malware and unwanted software protection, to automatically block BadBox-associated apps.' FBI Recommendations And Mitigations — Disconnect Devices From The Internet Now The FBI has recommended that Android users should be on the lookout for a number of potential clues that your Chinese-manufactured smart device could be infected with BadBox 2.0 malware. When it comes to mitigation, the advice is straightforward: users should 'consider disconnecting suspicious devices from their networks,' the FBI said.
