A Dallas man pleaded guilty to human trafficking on April 27, the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas announced in a news release.
In front of U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, Tremont Blakemore, also known as “Macknificent,” pleaded guilty to sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion.
According to court documents, Blakemore admitted to operating a “large-scale” human trafficking organization where he forced women to engage in commercial sex for his profit.
Blakemore admittedly forced the women in his trafficking organization to travel across the country for commercial sex and demanded that all proceeds be turned over to him.
He required the women to seek permission for all personal spending, and when they kept some money for themselves or disobeyed other “rules” he had set, he became violent with them. He also punished them if they left the house without permission.
According to court records, victims said that Blakemore punched, kicked, slapped, and choked them. They also said he burned them with cigarettes.
In a group text message to victims, Blakemore threatened to “make an example out of someone soon” if they continued to disrespect him.
Blakemore admittedly used the proceeds of his victim’s sexual encounters to purchase luxury items to appear successful and wealthy, saying the image helped recruit other victims.
“This defendant systematically brutalized his victims, convincing them that they had no choice but to live life according to his dictates,” U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham said. “We hope that this guilty plea will be a balm to survivors as they work to rebuild their lives.”
First charged in September 2019, Blakemore is set to be sentenced on October 6. He faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
The investigation into Blakemore’s crime was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office with the assistance of multiple agencies, including the North Texas Trafficking Task Force – a syndicate of federal, state, and local law enforcement created to eradicate all forms of human trafficking.