Man and Woman Sentenced for Sex Trafficking of a Minor

NEW BERN – The United States Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, Robert J. Higdon, Jr., announced that United States District Judge Louise W. Flanagan sentenced BOBBY RAY WILLIAMS, JR., 41, of Stantonsburg, North Carolina, and TEMEEKA NESHAUNE HONEY, 40, of Wilson, North Carolina, in a sex trafficking case.  Williams was sentenced after pleading guilty to sex trafficking of a minor, and Honey was sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor.  WILLIAMS was sentenced to 180 months imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release.  HONEY was sentenced to 61 months imprisonment followed by 5 years of supervised release.  Both defendants are also required to register as a sex offender upon their release from prison.

In December 2015, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Raleigh Police Department (RPD) investigated the sex trafficking of a minor.  Agents identified a minor female (Victim) who was reportedly being sexually exploited by several individuals.  The investigation revealed that William Maurice Saddler, previously convicted by a federal jury on November 30, 2017, began an illicit dating relationship with the Victim while she was thirteen or fourteen years old.  Around 2015, when the Victim was fifteen years old, Saddler forced her to prostitute at migrant camps around Wilson, North Carolina.  Among other tactics, Saddler used violence, fear, and manipulation to force the victim to continue prostituting to support Saddler’s crack cocaine habit.

WILLIAMS and HONEY were Saddler’s coconspirators.  HONEY was Saddler’s girlfriend and assisted Saddler by transporting the Victim to various migrant camps for prostitution.  WILIAMS is Saddler’s brother, and he assisted Saddler in prostituting the Victim by accompanying them on multiple occasions to the migrant camps.  WILLIAMS also prostituted the Victim himself and also coerced the fifteen-year-old Victim to have a sexual relationship with him.

At sentencing, tentatively set for June 5, 2018, Saddler faces a maximum sentence of not less than 15 years in prison up to life imprisonment and a fine of up to $500,000.

Mr. Higdon commented:  “The sentences imposed by the Court send a clear message that we will not tolerate the trafficking of humans - here a 15 year young girl – in the Eastern District of North Carolina.  This horrible victimization of this young woman is beyond despicable and really is among the worst offenses our law addresses.  Human trafficking – on an individual level – or on a larger scale plagues our country and debases us as a people.  We will aggressively move to prosecute and convict those who traffic in human beings and end their victimization.  I commend our law enforcement partners for their thorough and successful investigation.”

Investigation of this case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Raleigh Police Department, the N.C. State Bureau of Investigation, the Wilson Police Department and the Wilson County Sheriff’s Office.  Assistant United States Attorneys Erin C. Blondel and Eleanor Morales represented the United States.