New York Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Charges Related to Sex Trafficking of a Minor

Baltimore, Maryland – Marcell Greene, age 28, of Wyandanch, New York, pleaded guilty today to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor and to sex trafficking of a minor.

The guilty plea was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Harford County Sheriff Jeffrey R. Gahler; Colonel William M. Pallozzi, Superintendent of the Maryland State Police; and the Maryland Department of Human Resources, Child Protective Services.

According to his plea agreement, from about February 2015 through April 12, 2015, Greene and a co-defendant advertised a 16 year old female on computer websites for commercial sex acts and transported her from New York to hotels in Virginia and Maryland to engage in commercial sex acts.  On April 12, 2015, the victim called 911 from a hotel in Bel Air, Maryland. The victim told responding members of the Harford County Sheriff’s Office and the Department of Social Services that Greene and another man had taken her from New York to Virginia and Maryland to engage in commercial sex acts.  The victim advised that on April 12, 2015, the day she called 911, she had something thrown at her because she refused to perform a specific sex act.  Law enforcement and a child protective services worker saw swelling and bruising to the victim’s right cheek and right temple.

The investigation revealed that Greene registered and paid for hotel rooms in several locations where the victim performed commercial sex acts.  Witnesses identified Greene as being in the area where the victim was engaging in commercial sex acts, and investigators uncovered texts between Greene and the co-defendant discussing commercial sex.

As part of his plea agreement, Greene must register as a sex offender in the place where he resides, where he is an employee, and where he is a student, under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act (SORNA).

Greene faces a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison for sex trafficking of a minor, and up to life in prison for the conspiracy, each followed by up to lifetime of supervised release.  U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar has scheduled sentencing for October 14, 2016 at 3:00 p.m.

This case was investigated by the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, formed in 2007 to discover and rescue victims of human trafficking while identifying and prosecuting offenders.  Members include federal, state and local law enforcement, as well as victim service providers and local community members.  For more information about the Maryland Human Trafficking Task Force, please visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/md/priorities_human.html.

Report suspected instances of human trafficking to HSI's tip line at 866-DHS-2ICE (1-866-347-2423) or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein commended HSI Baltimore, the Harford County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police, and Maryland Department of Human Resources, Child Protective Services, for their work in the investigation.  Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Ayn B. Duaco, who is prosecuting the case.