Middle District Of Louisiana Human-Trafficking Task Force Investigation Results In Indictment For Child Sex Trafficking

BATON ROUGE, LA – United States Attorney Walt Green announced that an indictment was returned yesterday by a federal grand jury charging Udraka Roberts-Bey, age 25, of New Orleans, Louisiana, and Jennifer Gabrielle Anselmo, age 22, of Slaughter, Louisiana, of conspiracy to engage in sex trafficking of a minor.

According to the indictment, Roberts-Bey and Anselmo conspired to, among other things, recruit and induce a 15-year-old female to engage in prostitution and benefit financially from their pay-for-sex enterprise at locations in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. The indictment alleges that both Roberts-Bey and Anselmo promoted their prostitution business by using the website “backpage.com” to post classified advertisements in the Baton Rouge Female Escorts section for commercial sex acts.

A joint law-enforcement operation involving Middle District of Louisiana Human-Trafficking Task Force representatives, and spearheaded by the East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, identified the prostitution business run by Robert-Bey and Anselmo, and resulted in their arrest along with the rescue of the 15-year-old victim from a Baton Rouge hotel that was one of several locations where she was trafficked.

U.S. Attorney Green stated: “Once again a joint-law enforcement task force comprised of federal, state, and local law enforcement successfully identified a horrific crime that allowed for the rescue of a minor victimized by adult sex traffickers. Roberts-Bey and Anselmo operated the prostitution business out of greed and with no regard to the fact that they were stealing a child’s innocence. My office will continue to work in concert with our fellow law enforcement agencies to combat human-trafficking in any form, to include commercial-sex and labor trafficking. I appreciate the high-level of dedication and work by agents and prosecutors in this ongoing fight against sex traffickers and ensuring that perpetrators receive the justice they deserve.”

FBI Special Agent-in-Charge Jeff Sallet stated: “Human trafficking is a serious crime that requires law enforcement collaboration and expertise to successfully combat. This indictment is the result of a joint investigation involving federal, state and local law enforcement working together to confront human trafficking and the threat it poses to our children as well as other vulnerable individuals.”

East Baton Rouge Parish Sid Gautreaux stated: “The Sheriff's Office is committed to dedicating our resources to this joint effort to combat human trafficking in our community. This case is a result of the unprecedented level of collaboration and cooperation among agencies. Human trafficking is a heinous crime that we simply will not tolerate in this parish or elsewhere.”

This case is being investigated by the Middle District of Louisiana Human-Trafficking Task Force, to include the FBI New Orleans Division, East Baton Rouge Sheriff’s Office, and Louisiana State Police, with assistance from the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office and U.S. Department of Homeland Security – Homeland Security Investigations. The matter is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Paul L. Pugliese.