Jackson, Miss - Marco Laquin Rogers, age 27, of Atlanta, Georgia, was found guilty in U.S. District Court today to human trafficking of a minor child and the production of child pornography, announced U.S. Attorney Gregory K. Davis, Raymond R. Parmer, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New Orleans, and Commissioner Robert C. Haas of the Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Department.
Following a two-day trial, Rogers was found guilty of traveling to Mississippi for the purpose of engaging in sexual intercourse with a child under the age of 10 years old. He was also found guilty of producing videos of himself engaging in sexually explicit conduct with the child.
The investigation of this case began when the Cambridge, Massachusetts Police Department received information about a video tape of illegal sexual activities and the production of videos depicting the sexual assault of a child. The Cambridge Police Department contacted the Department of Homeland Security (“HSI") in Atlanta and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation who worked with HSI in Jackson to conduct further investigation. The collaborative efforts of HSI agents and investigators in Cambridge, Atlanta, Memphis and Jackson ultimately led to the identification of the minor child in the videos, who is now safe with her family.
“The safety and well-being of young children is a high priority for the Department of Justice," said U.S. Attorney Davis. “Our office will continue to aggressively prosecute these cases to protect the vulnerable and innocent victims of such crimes."
“This particular case could have persisted over a period of time if it wasn’t for how our investigators pursued what appeared to be a local crime. Working with our federal partners led to the resolution of this horrific act that seemingly has no jurisdictional restrictions. We have been fortunate to have such close ties with our federal partners, without which this criminal may not have been brought to justice," said Commissioner Robert C. Haas of the Cambridge Police Department.
“The horrific abuse inflicted upon a defenseless child in this case is unspeakable, and yet this individual went even further by recording and sharing the evidence of his sexual crimes," said HSI New Orleans Special Agent in Charge Raymond R. Parmer Jr. "Predators destroy lives, and HSI will continue to do everything it can to protect children by investigating and seeking prosecution wherever these criminals may be found." Parmer oversees a five-state region including Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi and Tennessee.
Rogers will be sentenced on Dec. 12, 2013 by U.S. District Judge David Bramlette III in Jackson. The penalty for human trafficking of a minor child is not less than 15 years and up to life in prison. The maximum penalty for production of child pornography is 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney Davis praised the efforts of the investigative agencies who worked this case and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Glenda Haynes and Scott Gilbert who tried the case for the government.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
