Joshua Lampley-Reid, of West Hempstead, sentenced to 23 years for sex trafficking minors
A federal judge sentenced a member of the Bloods street gang who pleaded guilty to sex trafficking minors to 23 years in prison on Wednesday in Central Islip, the acting U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York said.
Joshua Lampley-Reid, of West Hempstead, used violence and threats to force women and girls, some as young as 15, to perform commercial sex acts for his financial benefit, according to federal officials, who called Lampley-Reid a "pimp" and a "dangerous predator" in a news release.
Lampley-Reid, who was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Gary R. Brown, pleaded guilty to sex trafficking of minors in August 2022.
"The defendant is a ruthless predator who exploited vulnerable minors without families or homes, and sexually trafficked them for his own financial gain," said Carolyn Pokorny, acting United States attorney. "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."
Lampley-Reid’s attorney, Steve Zissou, did not immediately return a request for comment.
According to court papers, Lampley-Reid, 30, began recruiting women and minors through social media almost immediately following is release from state prison in December 2019 after serving more than a year for a third-degree robbery conviction.
Lampley-Reid groomed the women by acting like he had a romantic interest in them, but then manipulated them into sex work, "effectively enslaving them" through force and coercion. Failure to obey his commands, or pay him, were met with threats and violence, including beatings and chokings, federal prosecutors said.
Lampley-Reid, also known as Tio and Fendi, was a member of the Makk Balla set of the Bloods, used his association with the gang to terrorize his victims, officials said. The defendant maintained control over the victims by alternately showing affection and acting violently, officials said.
Lampley-Reid withheld food and other necessities, tracked his victims’ phones, threatened their families and stalked them after they left him. He had sex with his minor victims — which he often recorded on video, prosecutors said.
Officials said Lampley-Reid primarily trafficked victims in Nassau County, but also brought them to other states, including Florida, North Carolina and Maryland.
Homeland Security Investigations and the Suffolk County Sheriff’s Office were also involved in the investigation, officials 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," Suffolk County Sheriff Errol Toulon Jr. said. In 2018, Toulon created a human trafficking unit at the Suffolk County jail in Riverhead to provide support to victims and glean intelligence about criminal activity.
'A basis for somebody to bring a lawsuit' A Newsday investigation found Hempstead Town issued 80,000 school bus camera tickets in districts that did not authorize the program. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie and Newsday investigative reporter Payton Guion have the story.
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'A basis for somebody to bring a lawsuit' A Newsday investigation found Hempstead Town issued 80,000 school bus camera tickets in districts that did not authorize the program. NewsdayTV's Virginia Huie and Newsday investigative reporter Payton Guion have the story.