MAN CONVICTED IN "VIOLENT SEX TRAFFICKING CONSPIRACY"

FROM:   U.S. JUSTICE DEPARTMENT 
Thursday, March 20, 2014

Maryland Man Convicted in Violent Sex Trafficking Conspiracy

A federal jury convicted Jean Claude Roy, aka Dredd the Don and Dreddy, age 31, of Germantown, Md., late yesterday of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion, three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution and witness and evidence tampering.
 
The verdict was announced by Acting Assistant Attorney General Jocelyn Samuels for the Department of Justice Civil Rights Division, U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein for the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge William Winter of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and Chief J. Thomas Manger of the Montgomery County Police Department.

“This defendant preyed on vulnerable young women and exploited them for prostitution,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Samuels.  “The Civil Rights Division is committed to seeking justice on behalf of victims of human trafficking.”

“Protecting our communities from those who engage in human trafficking is a top priority for HSI,” said Special Agent in Charge Winter.  “As a member of the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, HSI is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to investigate human trafficking, as well as working with our local non-governmental, community-based and faith-based organizations to identify, rescue and assist victims of trafficking.”

According to evidence presented during the two week trial, between August and September 2012, Roy transported a victim across state lines to engage in prostitution and forced the victim to engage in prostitution by taking the victim’s identity documents, keeping all of the victim’s money and bragging about beating murder charges.  

In November 2012, Roy recruited co-defendant Brittney Creason to engage in prostitution at his direction.  Thereafter, Creason helped Roy recruit and transport girls from Illinois and North Carolina to engage in prostitution.  He continued to force women to engage in prostitution by bragging about beating murder charges, taking their identity documents and taking their money.  

Trial evidence also showed that from Jan. 1 through Jan. 10, 2013, while Roy was in jail on related state charges, he called an individual several times and had that person access online accounts and storage services belonging to Roy and Creason in order to erase evidence related to these charges.

Roy faces a statutory maximum sentenced of life in prison for conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison for each of three counts of interstate transportation for prostitution; and a statutory maximum of 20 years in prison for witness and evidence tampering.  U.S. District Judge Paul W. Grimm scheduled sentencing for July 16, 2014.
The jury found Roy not guilty of sex trafficking and attempted sex trafficking by force, fraud and coercion; and possessing and brandishing a firearm during a crime of violence.

Creason, aka Kitty Amor, age 19, of Decatur, Ill., previously pleaded guilty to using a facility in interstate commerce for an illegal activity and awaits sentencing.  
This case was investigated by the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, which was formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit this website.  

Report suspected instances of human trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form.  Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.  

Acting Assistant Attorney General Samuels and U.S. Attorney Rosenstein commended HSI Baltimore and the Montgomery County Police Department for their work in the investigation.  They also thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristi N. O’Malley and Trial Attorney William E. Nolan of the Civil Rights Division's Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit, who are prosecuting the case.