PROVIDENCE – Reginald Chaney, a/k/a “Reggie,” 20, of East Providence, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence today to conspiring to transport minors for the purpose of sex trafficking.

Appearing before U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., Chaney admitted to the court that in January 2015, he conspired with two juveniles to transport two young females, ages 15 and 16, to motels in Seekonk, Mass., and to locations in Providence, Warwick, Charlestown and Narragansett for the purpose of sex trafficking. He is scheduled to be sentenced on August 10, 2016.

Chaney’s guilty plea is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Rhode Island Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin; Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) for New England; Providence Police Chief Colonel Hugh T. Clements, Jr.; East Providence Police Chief Christopher J. Parella; and Seekonk, Mass., Police Chief Craig A. Mace.

According to information presented to the court, on January 28, 2015, Providence Police responded to Hasbro Childrens’ Hospital for a report of sexual exploitation offenses involving a 16 year-old female. As a result of information provided to the officers, and a subsequent investigation by Providence Police and Homeland Security Investigations, law enforcement learned that on January 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.

According to information presented to the court, between January 16 and January 28, 2015, 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. Based on the information developed by Providence Police and Homeland Security Investigations, Chaney was arrested by East Providence Police on January 29, 2015. He was ordered detained in state custody as a Superior Court probation violator on a 5-year suspended sentence imposed on January 14, 2015, on a weapons charge.

Two juvenile males from East Providence identified as co-conspirators in this matter were arrested on January 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 November 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. He 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, J'Maire Wray, 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, Wray received a certified sentence of 15 years with six years to serve.

Under certification, both Desmarais and Wray are convicted and their sentences will extend into adulthood.

The cases are being jointly prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly and Rhode Island Attorney General Daniel Carr Guglielmo.