A Dallas man has been indicted in New York for sex trafficking and physically abusing two teens.
Donald Roberson, 29, allegedly met the two female victims, ages 17 and 18, on Instagram. They met up in Dallas, and Roberson drove them to New York in August. When they arrived in East New York, Roberson rented a hotel room at Hotel Sunborn. The teens were reportedly forced to “walk the track” in East New York and engage in prostitution.
Officials say Roberson subjected the women to “horrific abuse” and treated them as his personal property, forcing them into a life of exploitation and violence.
The man took the two victims to a tattoo parlor on August 20 to have his nickname, “Blue Cheese,” tattooed on their faces. Later in the day, Roberson and the 17-year-old had an argument in McCarren Park, which allegedly led Roberson to punch and kick her in the face and pull her hair so hard she had a seizure. He also allegedly stabbed her in the side of her body with a pair of scissors.
Two days later, the 18-year-old was treated for a viral throat infection at Kings County Hospital (reportedly caused by the sexual acts she was forced to perform). After she left the hospital, Roberson found her and choked and punched her until she was crying and could not breathe, the indictment states.
The following day, the 17-year-old and Roberson got into another argument, this time at the hotel. The 17-year-old went into Roberson’s vehicle and locked herself inside of it. He retaliated by shattering the car window and covering the girl with shards of glass and cuts. He then took a torch lighter to her leg and burned her.
The 17-year-old was able to text someone back in Texas for help, disclosing the hotel’s whereabouts and Roberson’s information. Brooklyn police officers found her in the parking lot of the hotel and arrested Roberson.
Roberson was indicted with charges of sex trafficking of a child, sex trafficking, assault, promoting prostitution, and other related charges.
“The brutality these victims endured is appalling, and we will work diligently to ensure that he is held accountable for the inhumanity he inflicted,” wrote Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez in a release.
Roberson is currently being held without bail. His next court date is scheduled for October 23.
Sex trafficking and prostitution is also a serious problem in northwestern Dallas, which has suffered from the lack of officers on the force in the Dallas Police Department, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.