SPOKANE, Wash — A 39-year-old man pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges and was sentenced on Nov. 10, according to Spokane police.
Jerry Roberts, 39, pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree promoting prostitution and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He also pleaded guilty to second-degree promoting prostitution and received 5 years to run concurrent to the 10 years.
According to a press release from Spokane Police Sergeant Terry Preuninger, Roberts was contacted on Jan. 21 when he transported a minor female to an undercover human trafficking operation conducted by the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force. The investigation found Roberts was actively trafficking two minor victims, Preuninger said. He was charged and arrested for two counts of commercial sexual abuse of a minor.
In August 2018, Preunigner said when Roberts was in police custody, he was communicating with a woman from jail and directing her to prostitute herself in order to raise bail money for him. The investigation revealed t hat Roberts had a history of actively trafficking the victim, Preuninger said. He was charged with one count of second-degree promoting prostitution.
The FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force consists of investigators from the Spokane Police Department, the Spokane County Sheriff’s Office and the FBI.
