Teenage Boys Sentenced for Running Prostitution Ring

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A teenager from East Providence, R.I. was sentenced this week for running a prostitution ring in Seekonk and surrounding communities.

Brian Desmarais, who was 17 when he was arrested, was charged with sex trafficking and conspiracy. He was sentenced to at least 19 months at the Rhode Island Training School.

Police said he, Jermaine Wary, then 15, and Reginald Chaney, 20, both of East Providence, ran the ring. They used two girls—one age 15 and the other 16 to set up sex encounters in the region, police said.

The pair advertised the girls on Backpage and conducted the encounters in Seekonk and in Rhode Island in Providence, Warwick, Charlestown, and Narragansett.

In September, Wray was sentenced to six years in prison. Chaney’s case is still pending.

“It is unimaginable for two teenage boys to conspire to commit such a heinous act, yet this is not an isolated case,” said Rhode Island Attorney General Peter Kilmartin in a statement. “It is not unheard of for teenagers to engage in this type of criminal behavior, targeting vulnerable peers and forcing them into sexual servitude. And, easy access to sites like Backpage.com enables them to do so.”

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