Massachusetts man indicted in Rhode Island for sex trafficking

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — A suburban Boston man was indicted in federal court Wednesday in Rhode Island on sex trafficking charges.

This indictment resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the Cranston (Rhode Island) Police Department.

Devon Brown, 24, of Everett, Massachusetts, is alleged to have transported a woman from Massachusetts to Rhode Island for the purpose of commercial sexual activity.

A federal indictment returned Tuesday, and unsealed in U.S. District Court in Providence, Rhode Island, charges Brown with a Mann Act charge of interstate transportation with the intent to engage in prostitution.

According to information presented to the court, a joint investigation by Cranston police and HSI determined that on March 7, 2016, Devon Brown, allegedly operating out of a motel in Seekonk, Massachusetts, paid for and posted Backpage.com ads offering a woman for commercial sexual activity.

On March 7, 2016, an HSI undercover agent responded to the ad posing as a customer and allegedly arranged with Brown for the woman to be brought to a Cranston residence. When the woman arrived at the Cranston residence and allegedly engaged in a sex-for-money conversation with the agent, she was detained while Brown was arrested outside of the building. Brown was re-arrested prior to making an appearance for court and has since been released to home confinement with electronic monitoring.

An indictment is merely an allegation and is not evidence of guilt. A defendant is entitled to a fair trial in which it will be the government’s burden to prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.