Joshua Lampley-Reid, a reputed gang member from West Hempstead, was sentenced on Jan. 15 at the federal courthouse in Central Islip, to 23 years in prison for the sex trafficking of minors. Lampley-Reid, also known as “Tio” or “Fendi,” was a member of the Makk Balla set of the Bloods street gang.
Lampley-Reid operated as a “pimp,” according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Through violence and threats, he extorted women and girls, some as young as 15, to commit commercial sex acts for his financial benefit. Lampley-Reid pled guilty to the charge in August 2022, before his sentencing by U.S. District Judge Gary R. Brown.
“The defendant is a ruthless predator who exploited vulnerable minors without families or homes, and sexually trafficked them for his own financial gain,” Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of New York Carolyn Pokorny, said in the release. “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 top affect them for years to come.”
According to court documents, Lampley-Reid began recruiting women to engage in commercial sex acts for his own financial benefit in December 2019. Using social media, Lampley-Reid recruited women by establishing relationships with his victims and groomed them by expressing romantic interests in them. He then manipulated them into performing sex work, before “effectively enslaving them through acts of force and coercion.”
He controlled the acts of commercial sex, deciding when, where and with whom; these women would have sex with. Acts of resistance or failure to pay him were met with threats and violence.
In order to control his victims, Lampley-Reid would emotional manipulate his victims by either displaying affection towards them or acting violently. Not only did he beat and choke his victims, he withheld food and other basic necessities.
Lampley-Reid tracked his victims’ phones, threatened their families and stalked them after they left him. He used his association with the Bloods to threaten the women and girls.
He filmed himself abusing his victims, depicting the psychological and emotional abuse he heaped on them. He also filmed himself engaging in sexual intercourse with his minor victims.
Lampley-Reid ran his prostitution business online, where he posted sexually exploitative photos of minor victims that he took or persuaded these minors to take themselves.
The majority of Lampley-Reid’s business was conducted in Nassau County, though he did take victims to other states, including Florida, North Carolina and Maryland.