Man Sentenced to Prison for Teenage Sex Trafficking In Enfield

ENFIELD, CT — A Hartford man was sentenced Monday to 10 years in prison for his role in a sex trafficking operation involving an underage female from Enfield.

Romane St. Christopher McKenzie, 24, also known as “Wookie,” “Rude” and “Rude Boy,” was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven to 120 months of imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, according to Deirdre M. Daly, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.

According to court documents and statements made in court, on Nov. 18, 2014, a case worker with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families informed the Enfield Police Department that a 15-year-old girl was advertising prostitution services on Backpage.com, listing the girl’s location as Enfield, Daly said.

Later that day, Enfield police contacted the number in the advertisement and engaged in a ruse negotiation to purchase the girl’s services. At the conclusion, police were told to go to a local motel where they encountered the minor victim in a room, Daly said.

The room contained evidence of prostitution and was rented by McKenzie, who was present at the motel and arrested at that time, Daly said.

An investigation revealed evidence that McKenzie knew the minor victim was 15 years old, that he had paid for Backpage.com advertisements on behalf of the minor victim and others, and that he trafficked the minor victim and others at motels in Enfield and Windsor Locks. The investigation included analysis of numerous text messages between McKenzie and the minor victim, and between the minor victim and prospective prostitution clients. The investigation also revealed that McKenzie sold crack cocaine to the minor victim, according to Daly.

On Aug. 2, 2016, McKenzie pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor.

A citizen of Jamaica, McKenzie faces immigration proceedings when he is released from prison, Daly said.

This matter was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Enfield Police Department, with the assistance of the Connecticut Department of Children and Families.

Photo courtesy of Enfield Police Department