2 indicted in sex trafficking operation

BATON ROUGE (AP) — Prosecutors say a Zachary man and a Greenwell Springs woman have been indicted by a Baton Rouge federal grand jury on sex trafficking charges.
Interim U.S. Attorney Walt Green said Jeremie J. Tate and Roxanne R. Merritt allegedly conspired together and with others to promote Tate’s prostitution business, which involved multiple prostitutes, including a minor female.
The indictment returned Monday also alleges Tate enticed a prostitute who worked for him to travel from Baton Rouge to Las Vegas to engage in prostitution. Green says Tate allegedly used intimidation and manipulation to ensure he received most of the proceeds earned by his prostitutes.
A tip from a Baton Rouge hotel employee led to Tate’s arrest in September.