CHARLOTTE, N.C. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - North Carolina, Western), published as received.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Yusef Reynolds, 34, formerly of Delaware, was sentenced today to 27 years in prison followed by a lifetime of supervised release for sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Reynolds was on supervised release for a prior federal sex trafficking conviction in Delaware when he met and lured the underage victim, forcing her to engage in commercial sex.

James C. Barnacle, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in North Carolina, and Chief Johnny Jennings, of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department (CMPD) join U.S. Attorney Ferguson in making today’s announcement.

“Today’s lengthy sentence is appropriate for a defendant who while on supervised release for sex trafficking a minor engaged in the same behavior—using violence and physical abuse to control a minor and force her to engage in sexual acts for his profit,” said U.S. Attorney Ferguson.  “I am proud of the hard work of my office to protect children and hold accountable those who prey on them.”

“After serving federal prison time for sex trafficking an underage girl, Yusef Reynolds went right back to his predatory ways. Once again, he lured a victim through social media and exploited her for his own profit. The FBI will continue to work with our partners and prioritize punishing those who abuse children,” said Special Agent in Charge Barnacle.

According to court documents, in 2012, Reynolds was convicted of federal charges for sex trafficking a minor and illegal possession of firearms in Delaware and was sentenced to 10 years in prison. Reynolds was released in 2021 and was placed under federal supervision. Court records show that, from December 2021 through January 2022, while on federal supervised release, Reynolds sex trafficked a 16-year-old runaway from Massachusetts he met online. According to court documents, Reynolds used Facebook to contact the minor, who at the time was in North Carolina. Using promises of a better life to lure the victim, Reynolds convinced her to join him in Delaware even though he knew the victim was underage.

Filed court documents show that Reynolds sent two other individuals to pick up the minor victim and bring her to Delaware. Once there, Reynolds immediately began to sex traffic the minor. Reynolds took pictures of the minor and posted them on a website advertising for commercial sex. After that, Reynolds, either himself or through other individuals he knew or controlled, booked commercial sex appointments for the victim and took all the money the victim earned from the sexual encounters. During that time, Reynolds used a combination of physical and sexual violence, threats, and verbal abuse to force the victim to engage in commercial sex acts and plied the victim with drugs to further coerce her to continue to engage in the commercial sex trade.

On March 29, 2024, Reynolds pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of a minor by force, fraud, or coercion. He will be transferred to the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons upon designation of a federal facility.

In making the announcement, U.S. Attorney Ferguson credited the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force for its investigative work and thanked CMPD and the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, both task force members, for their coordination and partnership with the FBI, which led to today’s outcome. FBI Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Forces operate in nearly every FBI field office. The most effective way to investigate human trafficking is through a collaborative, multi-agency approach among federal, state, local, and tribal partners. The ultimate goal of the task forces is to recover victims and investigate traffickers at the state and federal level.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Spaugh of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte prosecuted the case.