Mount Vernon Man Trafficked Teenager For Prostitution: FBI

MOUNT VERNON, NY — Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the FBI, announced on Friday the unsealing of a criminal complaint charging Rai Thomas with sex trafficking of a minor and the use of interstate facilities to promote sex trafficking and prostitution. Thomas was arrested Friday morning.

"As alleged, Rai Thomas exploited a teenage girl who lived at a residential facility for vulnerable and at-risk youth, and caused her to engage in commercial sexual activity at hotels throughout the Bronx and Brooklyn for his own profit," Williams said. "Thomas’s alleged conduct is particularly insidious given his minor victim’s vulnerable status and living situation. This Office, along with our law enforcement partners at the FBI, will continue to identify, investigate, and prosecute those engaged in the sex trafficking of minors."

In January and February of this year, Thomas recruited the underage girl to engage in commercial sexual activity and caused her to do so on multiple occasions in hotels in the Bronx and Brooklyn, according to law enforcement.

Thomas is accused of recruiting the girl from a children's center in the Bronx and enticing her to to engage in commercial sex. Authorities said he coordinated her transportation to hotels and reserved the hotel rooms in which she engaged in commercial sex. He is also accused of advertising those sex services on various websites to customers for commercial sex and profiting from the sex trafficking scheme, according to documents filed in federal court.

"Human traffickers exploit at-risk teenagers, using their vulnerabilities against them," FBI Assistant Director Michael J. Driscoll said. "Make no mistake — these criminals are forcing children to have sex so they can make money. We are doing everything we can to help the victim in this case, but she may not be the only one. Please reach out to us at 1-800-CALL-FBI to report any information that could help ensure Thomas faces justice for his alleged crimes."

Williams praised the outstanding investigative work of the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, the Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, the City of Poughkeepsie Police Department and the New York City Police Department. He noted that the investigation is ongoing.

There may be other victims of this alleged conduct. If you have information to report, contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.

Thomas is charged with sex trafficking of a minor, which carries a mandatory minimum term of 10 years in prison and a maximum term of life in prison, and the use of interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison.