ROCHESTER, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr.
announced today that a federal jury has convicted Ray Davis, 30, of Rochester,
NY, of two counts of sex trafficking, one count of sex trafficking conspiracy,
two counts of production of child pornography, and two counts of distribution
of child pornography. The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of 15 years
in prison, a maximum penalty of life, and a $250,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Melissa Marangola and Meghan
McGuire, who prosecuted the case, stated that in 2015, the defendant ran a sex
trafficking operation with co-defendant, Marcus Brown. Davis and Brown preyed
upon and exploited teenagers who were homeless and vulnerable, coercing them to
engage in commercial sex acts.
Davis and Brown worked together to take sexually explicit
photos of the minor victims and post them on Backpage.com, an online classified
advertisement website that was previously shut down by the Department of
Justice.
The verdict is the result of an investigation by Homeland
Security Investigations, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Kevin
Kelly, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Child Exploitation Task Force,
under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Gary Loeffert.
Ray Davis is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2020,
at 10:00 a.m. before U.S. District Judge Charles J. Siragusa, who presided over
the trial of the case.
Marcus Brown was previously convicted and is scheduled to be
sentenced on November 26, 2019, at 11:00 a.m., also before Judge Siragusa.
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