He allegedly forced women in his home to have plastic surgery, etch matching tattoos on their wrists and dance at strip clubs. Then, Kenndric Traman Roberts took the money the women earned and, in exchange, offered them drugs, sex and a place in his spacious Sandy Springs home, according to police.
The strange case - set in an upscale suburban neighborhood - unfolded after a 20-year-old alleged victim used a "company phone" on Tuesday to call 911 asking for help and police were dispatched to the nearly 7,000-square-foot home. Roberts, 33, was arrested and charged with trafficking a person for labor and false imprisonment. As many as eight women were living in the home, according to police.
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According to Fulton County court documents released Thursday, Roberts threatened to hurt the women if they left his rental home, worth nearly $1 million. He promised them thousands of dollars if they stayed. Roberts always had a handgun and an assault rifle, intimidating the women he called his employees, his alleged victims told police.
“She stated that Kendrick had threatened her on numerous times, one instance where he stated be was going to pay someone to cut her chest open, take out the implants and cut her up,” a detective wrote in an affidavit. “He has threatened violence against family members of some of the other girls.”
After calling 911 from an upstairs room in the Strauss Way home, the woman told police she was from Orlando and had lived in the home for about a month along with her young son.
“She advised that she, and other girls, were presented with a contact from Kendrick in which he promised them a “signing bonus” upon completion of their contract,” the affidavit states. “She was promised a $200,000 signing bonus plus $150,000 upon completion of the contract but noted that there was no end date on the contract. She was sent t0 the Dominican Republic, where she received a breast augmentation valued at $10,000.”
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
Credit: Fulton County Sheriff’s Office
But months before the Orlando woman called, police, her mother also alerted investigators about her suspicions about what was going on in the home. And in January 2016, an anonymous tipster told the FBI that Roberts was a “violent pimp” who didn’t allow the women he called “Diamond Kitties” to leave, according to police. He allegedly used social media and a “seeking arrangement” website to recruit the women.
Other women told investigators Roberts insisted they work at strip clubs, including the Pink Pony and Oasis Goodtime Emporium. The women were prohibited from speaking to other black men at the clubs, one woman told police. Roberts allegedly took the women’s personal phones and identification and provided them phones. Inside the home, there were cameras to watch the women, police documents state.
Late Tuesday morning, two hours after the 20-year-old woman called 911, Roberts also called police to report that a former employee had stolen high-end items from him. An iPhone 7, Christian Louboutin shoes, Victoria’s Secret lingerie, Burberry purse and an Ann Taylor formal gown were among the missing items, Roberts told police. At the home, it was Roberts that investigators focused on.
Neighbors in the gated community had complained about the amount of traffic in and out of the house, the homeowners’ association president said.
“I think everybody in the neighborhood is very shocked and upset at what’s been going on,” Mark Feinberg said.
But neighbors only knew Roberts in passing and had rarely seen the other residents of the home, Feinberg said.
“They certainly weren’t going out for walks, as far as I know,” Feinberg said.
Footage from surveillance cameras at the neighborhood’s entrance was being made available to police, he said.
Roberts waived his first court appearance Thursday morning and was returned to the Fulton jail, where he will be held without bond until March 23, when he’s expected to return to court.
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