A jury has found Rai Thomas, 31, of Mount Vernon, New York, guilty of sex trafficking a minor and using interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity. The verdict was delivered on October 27, 2025, following a trial overseen by U.S. District Judge Nelson S. Román.
U.S. Attorney Jay Clayton stated: “Crimes relating to sexual abuse of minors are among the most heinous crimes in our society. 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 commented: “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.”
Evidence presented at trial showed that between January and February 2022, Thomas trafficked Minor Victim-1 for commercial sexual activity at several hotels in the Bronx and Brooklyn while she was living in a children’s group home. Prosecutors said Thomas enticed the victim into commercial sex acts, coordinated her transportation, reserved hotel rooms where the activities occurred, advertised her online for commercial sex, and profited from these acts.
Thomas faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison for sex trafficking of a minor and up to life imprisonment. He also faces up to five years for use of interstate facilities to promote unlawful activity. Sentencing is scheduled for February 13, 2026.
U.S. Attorney Clayton commended the investigation conducted by several law enforcement agencies including the FBI’s Hudson Valley Safe Streets Task Force and multiple local police departments.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Qais Ghafary, Kaiya Arroyo, and Jorja Knauer from the White Plains Division.
