Bryan Osborne, Minor Sex Trafficking via Facebook, IL

CHICAGO — A chilling tale of exploitation unfolds as Bryan Osborne, 27, stands accused in federal court for sex trafficking minors. The alleged ringleader is charged with using Facebook to ensnare young victims into participating in sexually explicit acts.

In a disturbing twist, Osborne, posing as ‘Lonyae Johnson,’ lured over 2,000 individuals, primarily minors, through social media. According to the complaint, he promised substantial sums of money to entice children into appearing in films that depicted child pornography.

The sinister scheme involved convincing minors to have sex with a fictitious producer named ‘Trey’ as part of a suitability check for filming. It was later revealed that ‘Trey’ was none other than Osborne himself, according to the charges. He engaged in sex acts with minors at locations in Chicago’s Austin neighborhood.

The complaint levies one count of sex trafficking and one count of enticing a minor to engage in a sex act against Osborne. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Michael T. Mason and was ordered to remain in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for February 16, 2017.

United States Attorney Zachary T. Fardon, FBI Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Anderson, Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson, IRS Criminal Investigation Division’s James D. Robnett, and Cook County Sheriff Thomas J. Dart jointly announced the charges. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bethany Biesenthal, Michelle Petersen, and Rebekah Holman represent the government.

The complaint also reveals Osborne’s encouragement of minors to refer younger children for exploitation. He even lured some minors into engaging in prostitution with others he had already recruited online.

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