Rhode Island Sex Trafficker Sentenced to 10 Years

A 21-year-old East Providence man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for conspiring to transport minors for the purpose of sex trafficking, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin; and other law enforcement officials.

Reginald Chaney, also known as “Reggie,” was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for his role in a sex trafficking operation that involved two 15-year-old and 16-year-old girls. According to the investigation, Chaney conspired with two juvenile males to take photographs of the girls in various stages of undress and post them on Backpage.com.

Between January 16 and January 28, 2015, Chaney and the two juvenile males conspired to transport the teenage girls to locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for the purpose of offering them for prostitution. Chaney was arrested by East Providence Police on January 29, 2015, and was ordered detained in state custody as a Superior Court probation violator on a 5-year suspended sentence imposed on January 14, 2015, on a weapons charge.

Two juvenile males from East Providence, identified as co-conspirators in this matter, were arrested on January 29, 2015, and prosecuted in Family Court by the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office. Brian Desmarais, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, pleaded nolo contendere on November 2, 2015, to two counts of sex trafficking of a minor and one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Desmarais received a certified sentence of 10 years with 19 months plus two days to serve, the remainder suspended with probation.

United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “Make no mistake, this defendant preyed on children with one motivation – making money. He sold children for sex, plain and simple. Nothing is more reprehensible, and he deserves every day of his ten year sentence. Yet my thoughts today are less than with him than with his victims, who have shown such courage in the face of such despicable conduct.”

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Chaney to serve 5 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term. The investigation was led by Providence Police and Homeland Security Investigations, with the assistance of other local and state law enforcement agencies.

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