The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland has indicted Baltimore rapper Deion “Poppa Fetti” Philip on charges of alleged child sex trafficking. They include two counts of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transportation of a minor. The indictment was made public on February 23.
Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, announced the charges alongside Special Agent in Charge Jimmy Paul of the FBI's Baltimore Field Office, Scott Shellenberger, the State’s Attorney for Baltimore County, and Acting Superintendent Michael A. Jackson of the Maryland State Police.
They alleged that Poppa Fetti trafficked two minors with the intent to engage in commercial sex acts for profit. The indictement allges that he trafficked one victim from October to November 2025. He also allegedly trafficked a second victim for "several weeks" the same year. If convicted, he will face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years behind bars. There's also the maximum sentence of life in federal prison for each count.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, the investigation was conducted under the Project Safe Childhood. It explains: "This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney’s Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims."
Poppa Fetti's Arrest
Poppi Fetti has already denied the allegations and maintains his innocence. “Mr. Philip vehemently maintains his innocence and looks forward to mounting a vigorous defense at trial,” attorney Mark Sobel told the Balitmore Sun.
The latest federal charges come after Fetti was previously indicted on nine state sex trafficking felonies in Baltimore in November.
