Roman Thomas III and Shanteria Sanders of Miami, Florida were arrested Monday after they were accused of pimping out a 13-year-old girl, news sources report. Thomas also allegedly forced the victim to get a tattoo of his nickname on her eyelids, sources say. Thomas, 26, and Sanders, 23, were booked into the Miami-Dade County Jail on charges of human trafficking, lewd and lascivious exhibition, delivery of a controlled substance to a child, and false imprisonment. It is unclear whether they have qualified for bail. It is also not yet known whether the duo has retained a criminal defense attorney.
Reports say this is not Thomas's first run-in with the law. In 2008, police reportedly arrested Thomas for attempted murder, four counts of lewd and lascivious battery on a child between the ages of 12 and 16, and felony battery, among other charges. Sources say Thomas pled guilty to the lascivious battery and felony battery charges. He served four years behind bars, and was serving five years' probation with a GPS ankle monitor when he was arrested on his more recent charges. However, Thomas allegedly cut the ankle monitor off on March 10 and took up residence at the Miami Shores Motel on Biscayne Boulevard.
According to reports, the victim, who goes by the street name "Sparkle," ran away from her home to escape a disorderly family life. The victim reportedly went to the USA Flea Market on Northwest 79th Street in Miami. She met Thomas, who goes by the street name "Suave," at the market, sources say.
Thomas and Sanders allegedly convinced the victim to work as a prostitute. After snapping some "provocative" images of the victim, Thomas and Sanders listed the girl on Backpage.com, a classifieds website that allows the posting of escort services. As part of the prostitution, Thomas and Sanders showed the victim how to converse with johns and gave her condoms, alcohol, marijuana, and synthetics drugs.
Clients, some of whom paid upwards of $100 an hour, reportedly met with the victim for sex at the Miami Shores Motel. Once the clients left, Thomas and Sanders would enter the room and count the money, a police report says. During one incident, Thomas allegedly taped up and "threatened to kill" the victim over a dispute about missing money.
At some point, the victim threatened to leave Thomas, reports say. As punishment for that threat, Thomas and Sanders took the victim to a tattoo shop at a Liberty City Flea market and had the word "Suave" tattooed on her right eyelid and the word "House," a possessive term, on her left eyelid.