Milwaukee Man Sentenced to 20 Years’ Imprisonment for Sex Trafficking

Gregory J. Haanstad, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin, announced that on August 22, 2024, Montae D. Jacobs (age: 34) of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was sentenced to a term of 20 years’ imprisonment, followed by five years of supervised release, after being convicted following a bench trial of two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud, or coercion, one count of sex trafficking of a child, and ten other related charges.

According to court records, the offenses for which Jacobs was convicted began in 2019 and continued through 2023. It also included conduct that occurred after his arrest and indictment in this case, while he served a state prison sentence. Throughout his time in custody, Jacobs continuously attempted to recruit new victims for his sex trafficking scheme, including at least one minor. Jacobs solicited, and in some cases paid, his fellow inmates for the contact information of women and girls they thought might be susceptible to Jacobs’ pitch, which was that they could quickly become wealthy by prostituting and live-streaming pornographic content if they followed his detailed instructions. His instructions included paying part of their earnings to him. Jacobs sent any women who were responsive to him letters, emails, and calls multiple times a day, exhorting them to call him “daddy” and “king,” to “submit” and “bow down” to him, and to recruit other victims for him.

In announcing the sentence, United States District Judge Lynn Adelman emphasized that while Jacobs may not have been as financially successful or as violent as some other traffickers previously sentenced in this district, his unusual degree of persistence and total lack of remorse required a serious sentence, both to protect the community from future crimes by Jacobs and to deter others who would engage in similar conduct. Judge Adelman also noted that the varied and nefarious means by which Jacobs controlled his victims, including false promises, physical violence, threats to have the victims arrested or evicted, and manipulation of their drug addictions, influenced the Court’s sentencing decision.

“The sentence in this case reflects the fact that human trafficking is a brutal offense, involving victimizing individuals day after day,” said U.S. Attorney Haanstad.  “In this case, Mr. Jacobs not only engaged in this conduct while in the community but he also continued to seek to victimize vulnerable individuals even after being placed in custody. I commend the hard work of all involved in seeking justice for and giving a voice to the individuals exploited by Mr. Jacobs.”

“Human trafficking is a heinous crime that has no place in Wisconsin or anywhere else,” said Attorney General Josh Kaul. “Thank you to everyone who collaborated to make this investigation and prosecution successful.”

This case was investigated by the Wisconsin Department of Justice, Division of Criminal Investigation, with support from the South Milwaukee Police Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Erica J. Lounsberry and Kate M. Biebel.

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For Additional Information Contact:

Public Information Officer

Kenneth.Gales@usdoj.gov

414-297-1700

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