Tremont Blakemore, 43, of Dallas, has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison, followed by a lifetime of supervised release after admitting to human trafficking.

Blakemore, also known as “Macknificent,” pleaded guilty in April to sex trafficking through force, fraud, and coercion, as previously reported in The Dallas Express. He forced hundreds of women to engage in commercial sex for financial gain by making threats of violence against them.

Blakemore ensured the proceeds the women made from cross-country commercial sex were turned over to him. He also demanded the women live by his rules, violently punishing them. Attempts to disobey him were met with violence.

Blakemore’s sentencing, handed down by U.S. District Judge Ada Brown, came with an order to forfeit several items he owned, including a trophy engraved “Playa of the Year.” He was also ordered to turn over his diamond and gold jewelry and Rolex watches.

He acknowledged that he purchased the luxury goods with the proceeds he made from his victims’ sexual encounters in a bid to appear successful to women whom he would later prey upon.

Commenting on the sentence, Lester R. Hayes Jr, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office, stated, “Tremont Blakemore can no longer flaunt a life of luxury through the proceeds he illegally garnered by forcing women into the commercial sex trade industry thanks to the work of our special agents and law enforcement partners of the North Texas Trafficking Task Force who investigated and arrested this violent criminal.”

“For the next twenty years, Mr. Blakemore will have time to reflect on the pain he caused those he subjugated for his own selfish gains,” he added. “Our hope is that the victims he forcefully manipulated will begin the healing process now that he is no longer a threat to society.”

Chad Meacham, from the office of the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, similarly expressed that “today’s sentence will be a balm to survivors as they work to rebuild their lives.”

He stated that the North Texas Trafficking Task Force was formed to pursue cases like this. The North Texas Trafficking Task Force is a coalition of federal, state, and local law enforcement dedicated to eliminating human trafficking.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Dallas Field Office, the Dallas Police Department, the Oakridge Police Department, and the North Texas Trafficking Task Force’s law enforcement partners assisted with the investigation.