Man Indicted For Trafficking, Abusing 2 Teens In East New York: DA

BROOKLYN, NY — A Texas man named Donald Roberson is accused of forcing two girls, 17 and 18, to engage in prostitution and give him the proceeds in East New York, the Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said on Wednesday.

Roberson, 29, received a 17-count indictment in court on Wednesday in which he is charged with sex trafficking of a child, sex trafficking, second-, third-and fourth-degree promoting prostitution, second- and third-degree assault, fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon, third-degree criminal sexual act, sexual misconduct, and third-degree sexual abuse.

The case started on Aug. 10, when the defendant drove the two teenagers from Texas to New York, and arrived six days later. The group stayed in East New York, where the victims were forced to engage in prostitution and give the defendant the proceeds, Gonzalez said.

On Aug. 20, the defendant took both victims to get his nickname, Blue Cheese, tattooed on their faces, Gonzalez said. Later that day in McCarren Park, the defendant punched and kicked the 17-year-old in the face and stabbed her with scissors until she had a seizure, according to the DA.

On Aug. 22, the 18-year-old victim was treated for a viral throat infection at Kings County Hospital, and when she left the hospital, the defendant choked her and punched her face until she couldn't breathe, the court indictment said.

On Aug. 23, Gonzalez said the 17-year-old locked herself inside the defendant's car, and he broke the window in before burning her leg with a lighter.

The victim texted someone back in Texas for help, and shortly after, police arrived and arrested the defendant, the DA said.

“This defendant allegedly subjected two young women to horrific abuse, treating them as his personal property by branding them with his nickname and forcing them into a life of exploitation and violence. The brutality these victims endured is appalling, and we will work diligently to ensure that he is held accountable for the inhumanity he inflicted.”

He is being held without bail and is ordered to return to court on Oct. 23.