A jury has found Rai Thomas, a 31-year-old resident of Mount Vernon, New York, guilty of sex trafficking a minor and using interstate facilities to promote sex trafficking and prostitution. The verdict was delivered on October 27, 2025, following a trial presided over by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román.
“Crimes relating to sexual abuse of minors are among the most heinous crimes in our society,” said U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton. “Rai Thomas’s actions were particularly egregious because he targeted a teen in crisis and preyed on her when she was at her most vulnerable. This Office is dedicated to protecting the children of New York. This conviction should serve as a lesson: if you target a child—any child—the prosecutors of this Office and our law enforcement partners will bring you to justice.”
FBI Assistant Director Christopher G. Raia stated: “Rai Thomas organized an elaborate sex trafficking scheme across the city to repeatedly exploit a minor victim simply to enrich himself. Thomas targeted an especially vulnerable minor, enticing her into commercial sex work with utter disregard for her wellbeing. The FBI will never tolerate any individual who advertises and uses children as sexual objects to fill their own piggy banks.”
According to evidence presented at trial, between January and February 2022, Thomas trafficked a minor identified as Minor Victim-1 for commercial sexual activity at several hotels in the Bronx and Brooklyn. At the time, the victim was living in a children’s group home. Prosecutors detailed that Thomas facilitated this scheme by arranging transportation for the victim, reserving hotel rooms where she engaged in commercial sex acts, advertising her services online, and profiting from these activities.
Thomas was convicted of sex trafficking of a minor—which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in prison and could result in up to life imprisonment—and use of interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity, which carries up to five years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for February 13, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Clayton commended the investigative efforts of several agencies involved in the case: the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force, Town of Poughkeepsie Police Department, Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office, City of Poughkeepsie Police Department, and New York City Police Department.
The prosecution was led by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Qais Ghafary, Kaiya Arroyo, and Jorja Knauer from the White Plains Division with support from Paralegal Specialists Gabriela Salerno, Samantha Olsen, and Shannon Becker.
