Michael Lawrence Maynes Jr. Gets 35 Years for Sex Trafficking Ring

ALEXANDRIA, Va. — Michael Lawrence Maynes, Jr., 34, of Spring Lake, North Carolina, was sentenced today to 420 months in federal prison for leading a violent sex trafficking ring that exploited women and girls across Virginia. From hotel rooms in Alexandria to motels in Charlottesville, Maynes ran a brutal operation known as ‘Horse Block Pimpin,’ using coercion, violence, and false promises to force victims into prostitution.

Maynes was convicted by a federal jury on May 19 following a trial that exposed the inner workings of his trafficking enterprise. Court records reveal he operated from 2010 to 2013, preying on vulnerable women — many who had lost custody of their children, struggled with addiction, or were homeless. He lured them with claims of love or financial independence, then trapped them through isolation, physical abuse, and threats. Victims were forced to meet daily quotas, with access to their children withheld until they did.

The operation spanned major Virginia cities including Richmond, Springfield, Chantilly, Fredericksburg, and beyond. Maynes didn’t work alone. He recruited the mother of his child to help post ads, collect cash, and move women between locations. He also pulled in his cousin, Robert Bonner, Jr., and a self-proclaimed half-brother, Michael Randall, to expand the ring. The trio trafficked women together, swapping victims and working them in tandem at hotels under watch.

Violence and drug dependency were tools of control. Women were beaten, drugged, and cut off from families and support networks. All proceeds from prostitution flowed directly to Maynes and his co-conspirators. Those who resisted faced escalation — physical assaults, threats, and psychological torment designed to break their will.

Bonner and Randall have already been held accountable. Both pleaded guilty and were sentenced — Bonner to 30 years, Randall to 25 — confirming the scope and hierarchy of the criminal enterprise led by Maynes. Their cooperation and the mountain of trial evidence left no doubt about Maynes’ central role as the ringleader.

The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Judge Liam O’Grady. Dana J. Boente, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and Clark E. Settles, Special Agent in Charge of HSI Washington, announced the outcome. Prosecutors Patricia T. Giles and Whitney Dougherty Russell led the case. Court documents are available via the U.S. Attorney’s Office and PACER under Case No. 1:15-cr-336.