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Rai Thomas, age 27, of Mount Vernon, was arrested Friday, July 22, on charges of sex trafficking a minor and using interstate facilities to promote sex trafficking and prostitution.
According to the US Attorney’s Office in the Southern District, Thomas recruited the teenage girl in January and February 2022 and made her engage in commercial sex acts on multiple occasions in hotels in the Bronx and Brooklyn.
He allegedly coordinated transportation to get the victim to hotels and reserved the rooms where she engaged in commercial sex acts.
Thomas also advertised the minor victim to potential customers using various websites, prosecutors said.
According to investigators, the girl was living at a residential facility for vulnerable and at-risk youth at the time.
“Thomas’s alleged conduct is particularly insidious given his minor victim’s vulnerable status and living situation," said US Attorney Damian Williams.
“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.”
If convicted on both charges, Thomas could be sentenced to between 10 years and life in prison.
The US Attorney’s Office said there may be other victims of abuse and asked anyone with information to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
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