Tennessee Man Charged in Federal Court in Louisiana with Sex Trafficking Offenses Against Two Minors and Two Adults

New Orleans, Louisiana – A Tennessee man has been charged in a federal court in Louisiana with sex trafficking offenses against two minors and two adults.

On April 13, 2023, U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that a federal grand jury in Louisiana returned a five-count indictment charging Maceo Roberts, age 24, from Memphis, Tennessee.

Roberts was charged in Count One of the indictment with conspiring to traffic an adult victim and a 14-year-old victim for commercial sex purposes between at least August 2020 and January 2021, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1594 (c).

In Counts Two and Five, Roberts was charged with using force, fraud, or coercion to traffic two different adult victims for commercial sex activities, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1591.
Count three of the indictment charged Roberts with coercion and enticement of an individual to travel from the Eastern District of Louisiana to Texas to engage in prostitution, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422 (a).
Count Four charged Roberts with transporting a minor from the Eastern District of Louisiana to Texas with the intent to engage in criminal sexual behavior, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2423 (a).

According to Count One, if convicted, Roberts faces up to life in prison. Counts two and five are punishable by a mandatory minimum of fifteen years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.
Roberts faces up to twenty years in prison on Count Three. Count Four carries a required minimum sentence of ten years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison.

In addition, the defendant faces supervised release for a term of five years to life, a fine of up to $250,000, participation in the sex offender registration and notification program, and a mandatory $100.00 special assessment fee for each count.

U.S. Attorney Evans emphasized that an indictment is only a charge and that the defendant’s guilt must be established beyond a reasonable doubt.

This case was filed as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide campaign initiated by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to tackle the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Project Safe Childhood, led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, marshals federal, state, and local resources to find, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. To learn more about Project Safe Childhood, go to www.usdoj.gov/psc. For additional information on internet safety education, go to www.usdoj.gov/psc and select the “resources” option.

U.S. Attorney Evans commended the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department for their work in investigating this case. The prosecution is led by Assistant US Attorneys Maria Carboni of the Financial Crimes Unit and Jordan Ginsberg, Supervisor of the Public Corruption Unit.