He accused his girlfriend of pimping a teen, then ended up with 24 years for sex trafficking

When Fort Lauderdale resident Leon Roberts found out his girlfriend advertised herself in backpage.com’s escort section and wanted their 14-year-old friend to work in tandem with her, he got upset.

After all, Roberts had been pimping out that 14-year-old girl for two months.

To address what he saw as relationship disloyalty as well as a raid on his business, Roberts called police and report his girlfriend as a pimp. But the tables turned when police started looking at Roberts instead. That’s why Roberts, 27, received a 24-year, four-month federal prison sentence Friday after a jury convicted him for sex trafficking a minor.

Most of this played out in Room 336 at the Crossland Hotel, 3031 W. Commercial Blvd.

According to the criminal complaint by a Fort Lauderdale police detective with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Roberts and girlfriend, identified as “C.A.,” met the 14-year-old in May, 2016. Roberts began pimping the girl out. The teenager told Roberts and C.A. she was 19, though she couldn’t produce any proof when asked by C.A.

The criminal complaint said the girl told police, she estimated “to have done over 80 dates while working for Roberts. Minor stated she most frequently had quickies...’’ After each “date,” the girl would shower and Roberts would take the cash from the nightstand drawer.

On June 22, 2016, Roberts found out C.A. was advertising on backpage.com when an e-mail to her Yahoo account went to his linked phone. C.A. and the girl stayed elsewhere that night. Upon their return the next day, the girl told Roberts that C.A. tried to recruit her as a partner. Roberts called the police to report C.A. as a pimp. He told the teenager to say she was 15 and being pimped by C.A.

Instead, the teenager gave up Roberts.

This story was originally published October 24, 2017 at 1:30 PM with the headline "He accused his girlfriend of pimping a teen, then ended up with 24 years for sex trafficking."