Jimmy Francois, a 37-year-old from Elmont who is also known as the rapper “Bentley Bugz,” was arraigned on Friday, March 6, in Brooklyn federal court on a six-count indictment accusing him of forcefully sex trafficking a 16-year-old, the U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of New York announced.
Francois was charged with the sex trafficking of a minor using force, fraud, and coercion, enticing a minor, sexually exploiting a child and interstate prostitution, with the charges stemming from a three-month period in which he coerced a teenager into prostitution using threats and by physically assaulting other women in her presence, U.S. Attorney Joseph Nocella Jr., said.
Francois also created sexually explicit images of the minor, some of which were posted online in prostitution advertisements, Nocella said.
Francois was arrested on Jan. 29 in Miami, Fla., and transported to New York last week, Nocella said.
Francois sex trafficked the teenager through multiple states, including New York, between June and August 2024, forcing the teen to engage in sex with multiple clients daily, according to court filings.
Law enforcement also recovered a video in which Francois assaulted the minor and made demeaning and threatening statements to her, including saying “You learned and understand that me and you are not equal,” and “I’mma violate you… you gonna have broken bones… in your hotel room. No hospital, no nothing,” and “I will personally break your bones,” according to prosecutors.
“He hid his dark life of threats and abuse behind a facade of power and luxury, but it was the victim’s unwavering courage that exposed his crimes and led to his downfall,” Frank Russo, the director of field operations for U.S. Customs and Border Protection of New York, said.
