A Texas man pleaded guilty Tuesday to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, according to officials.
Court documents reveal that in 2021 and 2022, 30-year-old Gregory Massey and his girlfriend, Patricia Hart, coerced two adults into participating in prostitution at various locations.
The two defendants advertised sex on different websites and retained all earnings from these transactions. They imposed daily monetary quotas that the victims had to meet through commercial sex and limited their access to food.
Additionally, Massey monitored the victims’ locations through their phone’s geolocation data to prevent them from leaving and resorted to violence to enforce this operation.
Massey is scheduled to be sentenced on May 21.
If the court accepts the plea, Massey will agree to a sentence of 22 years and six months in prison. He will also agree to pay $128,800 in restitution to the victims.
As a result of his plea, Massey must also participate in the sex offender registration and notification program.
Hart also pleaded guilty in November 2023 to conspiracy to commit sex trafficking. She is scheduled to be sentenced on March 26.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans for the Eastern District of Louisiana made the announcement.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives, and the Louisiana State Police investigated the case.
Trial Attorney Melissa E. Bücher of the Criminal Division’s Money Laundering and Asset Recovery Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Maria M. Carboni for the Eastern District of Louisiana are prosecuting the case.