A man who conspired to force two 16-year-old Bahamian girls into prostitution took a plea deal in his human trafficking case on Friday.
Jamalaya Roberts, 41, was both a client and a co-conspirator in a commercial sexual exploitation ring ran by Shamika Rolle.
Roberts pleaded guilty to conspiracy to engage trafficking in persons, trafficking in persons for the purpose of exploiting them for prostitution and possession of child pornography when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Joyann Ferguson-Pratt.
Although evidence had already been heard, the prosecutor, Eucal Bonaby, gave the court a summary of the case.
Roberts was convicted after he agreed with the prosecution’s synopsis.
The court heard that on March 1, 2021, the mother of one of the victims allowed her daughter to sleep over by her friend, the second victim in the matter.
They left with Rolle, who had introduced herself as the friend’s aunt.
While the girls were with Rolle, Roberts paid her to have sex with the minors.
He also paid for the girls to have sex with his friends.
Rolle also took nude videos and photographs of the children and sent them to Roberts.
Police found the lewd images of the minors in his phone.
When the girl returned home on March 4, she told her mother that Rolle had forced her into prostitution and she was not her friend’s aunt.
As a result, the girl’s mother contacted police. Following an investigation, Roberts and Rolle were arrested and charged.
Roberts took the plea deal before the second victim had a chance to testify.
In accordance with the plea deal, Roberts has been sentenced to 12 months in prison. The two weeks and two days that he spent on remand has been deducted from the sentence.
He was also ordered to pay each of his victims $10,000 in restitution. Failure to pay the money will result in an additional 18 months behind bars.
Following his release, Roberts will be on probation for three years and he will serve 12 months in prison should he breach its terms.
In order to avoid spending 12 more months in custody, Roberts has agreed to undergo counseling to “redirect his sexual desire in an appropriate manner, an understanding that his behavior was in breach of the law, particularly the Trafficking in Persons Act, and the need to respect the opposite sex, especially female children.”
Failure to successfully complete counseling will also result in 12 months in prison.
Roberts will return to court on May 1, 2023 for a status hearing.
His co-conspirator, Rolle, took a plea deal and is out of prison after serving nine months.
She’s currently on three years’ probation and could be jailed for 12 months for breaching its terms.
Rolle also risks spending 12 months in prison if she doesn’t complete year-long counseling.
She testified for the prosecution in order to avoid spending 18 months in prison.
She took a plea deal and testified for the prosecution.
Rhodricka Strachan appeared for Roberts and Ian Cargill represented Rolle.
