Six Indicted for Sex Trafficking Woman and Two Girls

Christy Parker, 26, Cory Primo, 42, and Avvani Jeffers, 22, are from Fall River, Mass. Three brothers, Alexander Smalls, 25, Tre’sean Reid, 21, and Tyreik Reid, 20, are from South Carolina. Smalls is currently incarcerated and awaiting trial in South Carolina on an unrelated offense of attempted murder in connection with a shooting incident in October 2022. He will be arraigned in Boston at a later date, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Tre’sean Reid was the last to be apprehended. He was recently transferred to Massachusetts and placed in federal custody. Reid appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge M. Page Kelley in Boston on Aug. 28 to dismiss attorney Jeffrey M. Miller and to appoint William Fick as his defense attorney, according to the court minute entry of that hearing obtained by The Daily Muck.

“Allegations… Are Truly Chilling”

Members of the ring were indicted on June 18 on charges of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; sex trafficking of a minor; and conspiracy to commit sex trafficking, according to the indictment.

“The allegations in this case are truly chilling,” U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy said in the press release. “One minor victim in this case was forced to engage in sex for money with many men. That young girl is someone’s daughter, she is someone’s granddaughter. It is hard to conceive of more vile conduct than what is set forth in these charges.”

Levy said sex trafficking “is not a distant problem — it is happening right here, in our neighborhoods, and often goes unnoticed or unreported. “Our office is relentlessly pursuing individuals who inflict such exploitation and suffering simply to line their own pockets. We are using every resource at our disposal to hold perpetrators accountable and seek justice for every victim.”

Pressuring Vulnerable Women into Commercial Sex

The indictment alleges the criminal acts occurred between January and August 2023. The first victim was the adult woman, who was coerced into commercial sex in Massachusetts and surrounding states beginning in January. The first minor victim was trafficked for sex beginning in July, and the second was added to the scheme in early August.

In a more detailed account than in many official press releases, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said the trafficking scheme began in early 2023 when “Parker reached out to the adult victim, indicating she was homeless and needed a place to live. After moving in with the victim, Parker and her boyfriend, Smalls, allegedly coerced the victim to quit her job and begin engaging in commercial sex.”

The prosecutors allege Parker and Smalls allegedly forced the victim to sign a “profit sharing contract,” which required the victim to “remain loyal and humble and stay focused.” The couple allegedly scheduled sexual encounters and set the prices for those acts, keeping all of the profits for themselves. Parker allegedly used physical violence and other threats to maintain control of the victim.

During this time, Parker took the victim to South Carolina, where she continued to traffic the woman. Upon returning to Massachusetts, Parker enlisted Primo and Jeffers to aid in trafficking the victim throughout the state and Rhode Island.

Violence, Threats, Alcohol, Marijuana and Starvation

As bad as those alleged offenses are, the picture painted by prosecutors gets even darker.

In July 2023, Parker allegedly targeted a 16-year-old girl and compelled her to engage in sex for money. She reportedly used physical violence, threats, alcohol, marijuana, starvation and sleep deprivation to control the teen, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Parker would beat the victim if she fell asleep just in case a customer requested her. She withheld food from the minor for several days after the girl failed to collect the entire fee from her “john,” according to the indictment.

The prosecutors allege Parker would beat and choke the girl and refuse to let her receive necessary medical treatment.

In August 2023, Parker corralled a 17-year-old runaway from a group home, scheduling clients for sex and keeping all of the profits. She threatened to physically assault the girl if she did not work.

“For months, these victims endured brutality and depravity allegedly at the hands of these individuals,” Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol said in an HSI press release. “While these arrests are a significant step toward securing justice, we recognize that this marks only the beginning of three survivors’ paths toward recovery. HSI New England, together with law enforcement partners, is committed to ensuring all trafficking victims are given access to the programs, services and resources necessary to their future healing and success.”

GoFundMe Appeal Maintains Innocence

In a GoFundMe appeal, a friend of Parker maintains her innocence and seeks donations to help raise a $26,000 bail. The appeal states she suffers from Sickle Cell Anemia “and several other serious diseases.” It recounts a harsh childhood where she was molested and raped by family members, an abusive marriage, and the loss of her 4-month-old son to SIDS.

The allegations in an indictment are not proof of guilt, the U.S. Attorney’s Office emphasized. “The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.”
HSI asks anyone with information about the defendants to contact the HSI New England Field Office at (617) 565-7400. If you or someone you know is a victim of human trafficking, please call the National Human Trafficking Hotline at 1 (888) 373-7888.