Gang Member Convicted of Human Trafficking

Prosecutors in DA Charme Allen’s Felony Drug Unit obtained a conviction against a Gangster Disciple gang member for human trafficking. Roger Ernest McClain, Jr., 26, was convicted of Trafficking for Commercial Sex. Under the terms of the plea agreement, McClain was sentenced to ten years in prison. McClain will also be placed on the Tennessee Sex Offender Registry.

In a hearing before Judge Scott Green, Assistant District Attorney Hector Sanchez explained that on September 19, 2015, Knoxville Police Department officers responded to an aggravated robbery at the Budget Inn on Lovell Road. The victim of the robbery informed officers that she had been””pimped out”” by McClain for the past year. KPD Investigator Jonathan Harris determined that McClain used the website backpage.com to organize a human trafficking ring. McClain would post ads on the website three times a day and would receive calls and text messages from individuals seeking to have intercourse with the victim. McClain collected the money exchanged for these encounters, physically assaulted the victim if she refused to comply, and injected the victim with heroin. The victim reported that it was not unusual for her to engage in intercourse with individuals patronizing prostitution up to twenty-five times a day.

“”Human trafficking victims are manipulated in so many ways that they feel they have no choice but to comply with the demands of their trafficker,”” said DA Charme Allen.””With the sentence in this case, McClain will no longer be able to manipulate this victim.””

If you have any questions, please contact Sean McDermott at 865-215-2515 or Sean.McDermott@knoxcounty.org. For more information about the District Attorney’s Office, visit our website at dag.knoxcountytn.gov and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.