An Atlanta jury found former pro wrestler Norris "Hardbody" Harrison guilty of multiple counts of sex trafficking and forced labor in a scheme to force women into prostitution, holding them prisoner at two homes he owned in Cartersville.Norris, 41, acted as his own attorney and was convicted of charges including conspiracy, witness tampering, aggravated sexual abuse, forced labor, and sex trafficking involving eight women. He could be sentenced to up to life in prison when is sentenced Feb. 28, 2008. One witness testified that Norris, a former Army sergeant and veteran of the Persian Gulf War, beat or threatened them to keep control and that he threatened to throw one through a hotel window when she would not engage in sex with two customers. In addition to forcing the victims to work as prostitutes, Norris made them work in and around his houses, requiring them to haul trees, lay sod and paint, according to testimony.
Norris wrestled for the now-defunct World Championship Wrestling organization in the 1990s. In 2000, after leaving WCW, Norris, who is black, joined other wrestlers in a lawsuit against the company and its parent, Turner Sports, alleging that WCW cast nonwhite wrestlers in unflattering stereotypical roles. Norris settled out of court for a sum his family said was upward of $1 million.