LI Gang Member Gets 23 Yrs. In Prison For Sex Trafficking: US Atty.

CENTRAL ISLIP, NY — A member of the Bloods street gang from West Hempstead has been sentenced to 23 years in prison for sex trafficking of minors, federal prosecutors announced on Wednesday.

Joshua Lampley-Reid, also known as "Tio" and "Fendi," operated as a "pimp," using violence and the threat of violence to compel sex acts for his financial benefit, including minors as young as 15 years old, Acting U.S. Attorney Carolyn Pokorny said.

"The defendant is a ruthless predator who exploited vulnerable minors without
families or homes, and sexually trafficked them for his own financial gain," Pokorny said.
"He is deserving of today’s significant jail sentence for the horrific physical and psychological abuse he inflicted on the victims, which, unfortunately, will continue to affect them for years to come."

As set forth in the government’s sentencing memorandum and other court documents, in December 2019, Lampley-Reid began recruiting females, including Jane Doe 1 and Jane Doe 2, to engage in commercial sex acts for his own financial benefit. He used social media and other internet applications to establish relationships with potential victims and groomed them by conveying a romantic interest in them, manipulating them into performing commercial sex acts and then effectively enslaving them through acts of force and coercion, the U.S. Attorney's office said.

Lampley-Reid tracked his victims’ phones, threatened their families and stalked them after they left him. He used his association with the Makk Balla set of the Bloods street gang to terrorize them. He also engaged in sexual intercourse with his minor victims, which he often video recorded, and managed his prostitution business over the Internet, posting sexually exploitative photos of minor victims that he took or persuaded them to take of themselves in order to further his trafficking business, Pokorny said.

"The sentencing of this dangerous gang member is a clear message that those who prey on the most vulnerable members of our community will be held accountable," stated Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon.

If you are a victim or have information about sex trafficking, call Homeland Security Investigations at 1-866-347-2423.