South Jersey Man Indicted in Delaware on Sex Trafficking and Child Pornography Charges

WILMINGTON, DE—Charles M. Oberly, III, United States Attorney for the District of Delaware, announced today that a federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Usef Reynolds, age 20, of Mays Landing, New Jersey, with sex trafficking and child pornography offenses relating to a 15-year-old female whom Reynolds met on Facebook. The five-count indictment charges Reynolds with one count each of: sex trafficking of a minor; transportation of a minor with intent to engage in criminal sexual activity; production and possession of child pornography; and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a crime of violence.

The indictment and related court documents allege that Reynolds met the 15-year-old minor on Facebook in late 2011. On January 17, 2012, the minor decided to run away from home and begin working as a prostitute for Reynolds. Reynolds drove the minor and a 20-year old prostitute who was working for him from South Jersey to a Newark, Delaware hotel. Reynolds photographed the minor and the other female in lingerie and posted their images in advertisements for prostitution on a website.

On January 26, 2012, Federal Bureau of Investigation agents traced a phone number used in the prostitution advertisements to a Newark, Delaware hotel, where agents found the minor with Reynolds and the 20-year-old female. Between January 17 and 26, 2012, both females had engaged in numerous acts of prostitution in various hotels in New Castle County, Delaware. Reynolds received the money paid by the prostitution customers to engage in sexual acts with the minor and the 20-year-old prostitute.

During a search of computer and camera equipment seized from the hotel room on January 26, 2012, FBI agents found video recordings of Reynolds engaged in various sex acts with the minor and with the 20-year-old female. FBI agents also seized approximately $2,000 in small denominations and a loaded 9-millimeter handgun from the vehicle Reynolds used to transport the females to meet prostitution customers throughout New Castle County.

If convicted, Reynolds faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years, to life, in prison on the sex trafficking and transportation charges. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison on the production of child pornography charge, and a maximum term of 10 years in prison on the possession of child pornography charge. He also faces a mandatory sentence of five years in prison on the firearm possession charge, with this five-year sentence running consecutively to any sentence imposed on the other charges. Reynolds also faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years to life, of supervised release following any prison term. He also will be required to register as a sex offender in any jurisdiction in which he lives, works or attends school.

This case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Edward J. McAndrew.

Criminal indictments are only charges and are not evidence of guilt. A defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty.