PROVIDENCE, RI – An East Providence man pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy, sex trafficking of a child and transportation of a minor, admitting he recruited minor girls for prostitution at motels in Seekonk, MA, and at locations in Providence, Narragansett, Charlestown and Warwick.
Reginald Chaney, a/k/a “Reggie”, 19, of East Providence, is scheduled to be sentenced in July, according to a release from United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha.
According to information presented to the court, Providence Police responded to Hasbro Childrens’ Hospital for a report of sexual exploitation offenses involving a 16 year-old female on Jan. 28, 2015. Following a subsequent investigation by Providence Police and Homeland Security Investigations, investigators learned that on Jan. 16, 2015, Chaney and two juvenile males conspired to take photographs of the 16 year-old female and a 15 year-old female in various stages of undress, and to post the photographs in advertisements on Backpage.com.
Chaney and the two juvenile males conspired to transport the teenage girls from Chaney’s East Providence residence to locations in Massachusetts and Rhode Island for the purpose of offering the girls for prostitution between Jan. 16 and January 28, 2015.
Based on the information developed by Providence Police and Homeland Security Investigations, Chaney was arrested by East Providence Police on Jan. 29, 2015. He was ordered detained in state custody as a Superior Court probation violator on a 5-year suspended sentence imposed on Jan. 14, 2015, on a weapons charge.
The two juvenile males from East Providence identified as co-conspirators were arrested on Jan. 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 Nov. 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.
Desmaris has begun serving his sentence at the Rhode Island Training School until a “modification hearing” takes place at which time a Family Court judge will determine if the sentence should be modified or continued to be served at the Adult Correctional Institution.
The second juvenile offender, who was 15 at the time of his arrest, pleaded nolo contendere before Family Court Judge Kathleen A. Voccola to two counts of sex trafficking of a minor, one count of conspiracy to commit sex trafficking of a minor, and one count of felony assault.
Under the terms of the plea agreement, the 15-year-old received a certified sentence of 15 years with six years to serve.
Author: Rob Borkowski
Rob has worked as reporter and editor for several publications, including The Kent County Daily Times and Coventry Courier, before working for Gatehouse in MA then moving home with Patch Media. Now he's publisher and editor of WarwickPost.com. Contact him at [email protected] with tips, press releases, advertising inquiries, and concerns.
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