ROMANE ST. CHRISTOPHER McKENZIE, also known as “Wookie,” “Rude,” and “Rude Boy,” 24, of Hartford, is going to federal prison for a decade after being sentenced to 120 months for sex trafficking a minor. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey Alker Meyer in New Haven, includes five years of supervised release following his prison term.
The case traces back to November 18, 2014, when a Connecticut Department of Children and Families case worker flagged a prostitution ad on Backpage.com advertising the services of a 15-year-old girl in Enfield. Police moved fast. Officers from the Enfield Police Department responded to the ad, negotiated a fake transaction, and were directed to a local motel where they found the underage girl inside a room rented by McKENZIE. He was arrested on the scene.
Court documents reveal McKENZIE knew the girl was just 15. He paid for her ads on Backpage.com and trafficked her—and others—at motels in Enfield and Windsor Locks. Investigators combed through numerous text messages between McKENZIE and the minor, as well as between her and potential clients, painting a damning picture of exploitation and control.
McKENZIE didn’t just profit from the girl’s abuse—he sold her crack cocaine. The investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Enfield Police Department with support from the Department of Children and Families, uncovered a pattern of coercion, manipulation, and drug dependency used to maintain power over the victim.
Arrested in 2014, McKENZIE has been in custody ever since. On August 2, 2016, he pleaded guilty to one count of sex trafficking of a minor, avoiding trial but sealing his fate behind bars for the next 10 years. Federal prosecutors, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Vanessa Richards and David Novick, pushed for accountability in a case that exposed the dark underbelly of online exploitation.
A citizen of Jamaica, McKENZIE will face immigration proceedings upon release. His conviction marks another grim chapter in the ongoing battle against the trafficking of vulnerable youth through digital platforms. The case underscores how predators use technology to exploit minors—and how federal and local agencies are tightening the net.
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher Hamlett Arrested in Hartford Child Sex Trafficking Case · Connecticut
- Joel Lindsay, Joseph Pina Charged in Minor Sex Trafficking Ring · Connecticut
- Jordan Anate, Romane St. Christopher McKenzie Jailed in CT Child Sex Trafficking Ring · Connecticut
- Bridgeport’s ‘King Sincere’ Gets 14 Years for Child Sex Trafficking · Washington
- Duhamel Cassagnol Gets 17 Years for Sex Trafficking · Massachusetts
Key Facts
- State: Connecticut
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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