Tennessee man pleads guilty in New Orleans sex trafficking case
Disclaimer: All persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
NEW ORLEANS (WGNO) — A Tennessee man has pled guilty to charges of sex trafficking for a 2020 incident that happened as he traveled through the southern United States.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana reports that during the summer of 2020, 25-year-old Maceo Roberts told co-conspirators, Dominique Peeples and Jeremy Talbert that he was allegedly “making money as a pimp” and offered to teach them.
The two allegedly agreed, and documents state that Roberts gave one of his underage victims who “previously performed commercial sex acts under Robert’s direction to Peeples. From there the victim introduced a second underage victim who began performing acts under Talbert’s direction.”
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As the group traveled through New Orleans with several female victims, the office states Peeples and Talbert were “taught techniques to oversee and advertise a prostitution operation.”
In October 2020, Roberts claimed control over one victim, requiring her to work 15 hours per day and to give him all the money she earned. He also beat the adult victim in front of the others as an “example” of what happens when his directions are not followed.
In January 2021, Roberts reportedly beat a victim to the point of hospitalization and was admitted to a New Orleans area hospital. After being discharged, he took the victim to Houston to work.
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In April 2022, Roberts directed his adult victim to work in New Orleans, Memphis, Houston, Dallas, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Biloxi and gave him all the money earned while repeatedly threatening and beating them.
Roberts was arrested soon after, according to court documents.
He now faces the possibility of life in prison, supervised release, a fine of up to $250,000, and a mandatory $100 special assessment fee. Roberts will also have to register as a sex offender and be ordered to pay restitution to the victims.
Sentencing is set to happen on Oct. 30.
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