Bentley Bugz faces federal intercourse trafficking prices after his extradition from Miami to Brooklyn Federal Courtroom for allegedly exploiting a 16-year-old.
Federal prosecutors introduced prices towards rapper Bentley Bugz this week in reference to a months-long intercourse trafficking operation concentrating on a minor throughout a number of states.
He faces three federal counts, together with intercourse trafficking of a kid and interstate prostitution, following his extradition from Miami to Brooklyn Federal Courtroom on March 6, 2026.
The 37-year-old allegedly orchestrated the exploitation of a 16-year-old woman all through the summer time of 2024, forcing her into industrial intercourse work with a number of purchasers in New York Metropolis and past state strains.
Courtroom paperwork reveal created express images and movies of the sufferer, then distributed them as on-line prostitution ads to solicit clients for paid sexual encounters.
Prosecutors say the rapper used bodily violence and intimidation to keep up management over {the teenager} through the two-month trafficking interval.
In recorded statements captured through the investigation, Bentley Bugz allegedly threatened the woman with extreme bodily hurt, stating he would “personally break your bones” and go away her injured in a lodge room with out entry to medical care.
The threats accompanied documented cases of facial assault and verbal degradation designed to maintain the sufferer compliant and forestall escape makes an attempt.
U.S. Lawyer Joseph Nocella characterised the crimes as significantly egregious in his assertion to the court docket.
“The defendant preyed on a susceptible little one and offered her physique for his personal revenue, whereas subjecting her to bodily violence and threats,” Nocella mentioned. “With at this time’s arrest, Francois is being held to account for his merciless and wicked crimes.”
Homeland Safety Investigation officers recovered the specific content material from Bentley Bugz’s iCloud account, together with video proof the place his voice might be heard directing the sufferer’s actions throughout recorded sexual encounters.
The digital proof supplied essential documentation of the trafficking operation and the defendant’s direct involvement within the exploitation.
Bentley Bugz remained in federal custody following his Friday arraignment in Brooklyn Federal Courtroom.