Yusef Reynolds, a 34-year-old former resident of Delaware, has been sentenced to 27 years in prison for sex trafficking a minor by force, fraud, or coercion. The announcement was made by Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. Reynolds will also face a lifetime of supervised release following his prison term.
Reynolds was already on supervised release for a previous federal sex trafficking conviction when he met and coerced an underage victim into commercial sex work. This case highlights repeated criminal behavior despite prior incarceration.
U.S. Attorney Ferguson commented on the sentence: “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.”
Special Agent James C. Barnacle, Jr., of the FBI in North Carolina, noted Reynolds’ return to illegal activities after serving time: “After serving federal prison time for sex trafficking an underage girl, Yusef Reynolds went right back to his predatory ways.”
Court documents reveal that Reynolds had previously been convicted in 2012 on charges related to sex trafficking and firearms possession and served ten years before being released under supervision in 2021. During this period, from December 2021 through January 2022, he trafficked a 16-year-old runaway from Massachusetts whom he contacted via Facebook while she was in North Carolina.
Reynolds lured the victim with promises of a better life and transported her to Delaware where he immediately began exploiting her. He advertised her services online and arranged commercial appointments from which he profited entirely. Physical violence, threats, verbal abuse, and drugs were used as means of coercion.
On March 29, 2024, Reynolds pleaded guilty to charges related to this crime. He awaits transfer to the Federal Bureau of Prisons once designated to a facility.
The investigation was led by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force with assistance from CMPD and Gaston County Sheriff’s Office. U.S. Attorney Ferguson praised their collaborative efforts: “The most effective way to investigate human trafficking is through a collaborative, multi-agency approach among federal, state, local, and tribal partners.”
Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephanie Spaugh prosecuted the case.
