A Memphis man has been dealt a lengthy 270-month sentence for his role in a sex trafficking conspiracy. Maceo Roberts, 25, stood before U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan and received his punishment on Wednesday, after pleading guilty to charges of orchestrating a scheme that exploited multiple victims, including minors, for commercial sex acts. Roberts' sentence will also run consecutively with any other sentence that he might receive for a separate attempted murder and robbery case, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana has confirmed. .
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office official court documents, the trafficking operation was orchestrated by Roberts starting in the summer of 2020 when he began teaching two co-conspirators, Dominique Peeples and Jeremy Talbert, the ins and outs of the illegal trade. Peeples and Talbert have both pleaded guilty to sex trafficking offenses, with Peeples's sentencing scheduled for April 9, and Talbert's for March 12. The trio facilitated the sex trafficking of several females, including at least two minors, across the southern United States, even withholding all proceeds from the victims.
Roberts not only forced these individuals into commercial sex work but also reportedly used violence and intimidation as means of control, including beating and threatening to shoot one of the adult victims when she failed to meet his imposed quotas or showed reluctance. In one particularly harrowing instance, an adult victim required hospitalization after being severely beaten by Roberts, as detailed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
In addition to his prison term, Judge Susie Morgan ordered that Roberts be placed on a fifteen-year term of supervised release following his imprisonment. This judgment also comes with a restitution of $666,000 to be paid to the victims for the suffering inflicted upon them. Furthermore, Roberts will be required to register as a sex offender. Peeples, and Talbert, will face their own fates before the court in the coming months, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
This case was part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. The collaborative efforts involved the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the New Orleans Police Department, and the Memphis Police Department, highlighting the cooperation between federal, state, and local authorities in addressing these grave crimes. Assistance in the prosecution was provided by Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Carboni and Jordan Ginsberg.
