Alleged sex trafficker indicted with Golubski released; feds seek to detain third man
A federal magistrate on Thursday released pending trial one of the men accused of running a violent sex trafficking operation in the late 1990s with the protection of a former Kansas City, Kansas, police detective.
Magistrate Judge Rachel Schwartz released Richard “Bone” Robinson, 58, after Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Hunting said prosecutors were not seeking further detention. Robinson was ordered to not have contact with his co-defendants.
Robinson and two other men were accused in an indictment unsealed this week of running the operation out of the Delavan Apartments, which one of his co-defendants, drug kingpin Cecil Brooks, owned at Delavan Avenue and 26th Street in KCK. According to the indictment, their crimes were shielded by then-detective Roger Golubski, who Brooks allegedly was paying off.
At the end of the hearing, Robinson was handcuffed and remanded back to the U.S. Marshals Service to be processed for release.
Robinson’s lawyer, Justin Johnston, declined to comment.
In September, Golubski was separately indicted on six federal counts that allege he sexually assaulted and kidnapped a woman and a teenager from 1998 to 2002, though prosecutors contend he stalked or raped seven other victims.
Federal prosecutors had argued that Golubski needed to be detained ahead of trial, calling him too dangerous to release. But Schwartz let him return to his Edwardsville home on house arrest, noting he has health problems that require regular attention.
Schwartz again allowed Golubski to return home after he made his first appearance Monday on the new charges. He remains under location monitoring.
Another man charged, LeMark Roberson, 60, was arrested Monday by the FBI in Cleveland, Ohio, where records show he has a listed address nearby.
Magistrate Judge Jennifer Dowdell Armstrong in the Northern District of Ohio heard arguments Thursday morning from prosecutors and Roberson’s lawyer on whether to detain him ahead of trial. The judge said she would issue a written ruling later.
At that hearing, prosecutors said Roberson was a danger to the community and noted he has a criminal history that includes a federal conviction for conspiring to distribute crack cocaine in Topeka with Brooks.
Roberson’s federal public defender, Carolyn Kucharski, acknowledged that the allegations Roberson is facing are “horrible,” but said the accusations are from more than 20 years ago.
Kucharski argued Roberson was not a flight risk, saying he does not have a passport and that he previously did not run when agents interviewed him about the case. She said Roberson, an Army veteran who is employed by Veterans Affairs, likely came to Ohio for a “fresh start” after he was released in 2016 from federal prison.
Roberson’s lawyer also noted that Golubski was released in Kansas. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer King responded that she did not want to compare the defendants, but noted Golubski has serious health issues.
The fourth defendant, Brooks, remains incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas.
Brooks, 60, has been behind bars since he pleaded guilty in 2009 to conspiring to distribute crack out of an apartment near Topeka High School, just blocks from the Kansas State Capitol.
This story was originally published November 17, 2022 at 12:20 PM.
