Dallas man forced teens into prostitution in New York, tattooed ‘Blue Cheese’ on their faces
DALLAS - *WARNING: Some readers may find details in this article disturbing.*
A Dallas man is facing child sex trafficking charges after allegedly taking two teenage girls to New York, subjecting them to horrific abuse and forcing them to work as prostitutes.
Donald Roberson, 29, was indicted earlier this week in Brooklyn, New York.
According to Kings County District Attorney Eric Gonzalez, Roberson drove from Dallas to New York in August with a 17-year-old and an 18-year-old who he met on Instagram.
Bianca Davis is CEO of Dallas’ New Friends New Life, a non-profit that helps sexploitation victims. She believes the befriending began on social media in this case.
"Who knows what he said," Davis said. "But I can guarantee you that he didn’t say, ‘I am going to take you for a horrific journey, and you are going to be abused and branded.’"
The trio checked into a hotel in East New York. Shortly afterward, Roberson began forcing the teens to work for him as prostitutes, authorities say.
Roberson allegedly took the teens to a tattoo parlor and had his nickname, "Blue Cheese," tattooed on their faces.
Davis says it’s a tactic called branding.
"They don’t see these victims as humans," she said. "It’s property. They are a commodity."
Roberson is accused of punching the 17-year-old in the face, pulling her hair, stabbing her with a pair of scissors and kicking her until she suffered a seizure.
On another occasion, she tried to lock herself inside Roberson’s car. He’s accused of smashing through the car window to get to her and then burning her leg with a torch lighter.
The teen also went to the hospital for a throat infection allegedly caused by being forced to perform sex acts.
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After leaving the hospital, Roberson allegedly went looking for the 18-year-old, punched her in the face and choked her until she was crying and unable to breathe.
"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," Gonzalez said.
The teens got help after the 17-year-old managed to contact a friend in Texas, giving him the name and address of the hotel where they were staying.
Officers in New York found the girl in the hotel parking lot and arrested Roberson.
"Anytime a woman or a girl gets out, it’s an absolute miracle," Davis said.
Roberson has since been indicted on 17 charges, including child sex trafficking, sex trafficking, sexual abuse, sexual misconduct, prostitution, assault and weapons charges.
New York courts do not release mugshots until after a conviction.
Roberson is being held at Rikers Island in New York without bail.
It’s still unclear if he was part of a bigger network of prostitution or if he had or has other victims.
Roberson’s next court appearance is scheduled for next month.