North Carolina man used 16-year-old runaway girl for sex work across state lines

This article discusses the sex trafficking of a minor. If you are the victim of human trafficking or may have information about a potential trafficking situation, please call the FBI, local law enforcement, or the National Human Trafficking Resource Center (NHTRC) at 1-888-373-7888.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) — A Spencer man was found guilty Wednesday of sex trafficking a 16-year-old across North and South Carolina, Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, said.

A federal jury in Charlotte found 42-year-old Marvin Ricardo Qualls guilty of conspiracy to sex traffic a minor and sex trafficking a minor. His co-conspirator, Out Efiom Ekong, 22, previously pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor.

According to court documents, evidence presented during the trial and witness testimony, between December 2023 and January 2024, Qualls and Ekong sex trafficked a 16-year-old girl who had run away from home. Trial evidence showed that Qualls met the minor at work, and soon after began to sex traffic the victim with Ekong, knowing she was underage.

The two men posted advertisements of the minor on commercial sex websites, set prices and arranged the minor victim’s sexual encounters with customers, booked hotel rooms where the encounters took place, and acted as security.

Officials say Qualls and Ekong traveled with the victim across North and South Carolina for her to engage in commercial sex transactions, and the two men kept the money the victim earned from those encounters.

“Those who prey on vulnerable teenagers deserve to be in prison,” said U.S. Attorney Russ
Ferguson. “I am proud of the prosecutors in my office who worked night-and-day to make sure
Qualls and Ekong’s days of preying on children are over.”

“This guilty verdict reflects the strength of the FBI’s partnership with the U.S. Attorney’s Office
and the Gaston County Sheriff’s Office, who together worked tirelessly on this case. Combating the trafficking of children requires a unified response, and we will continue to identify victims, pursue offenders, and ensure that those who exploit the most vulnerable are brought to justice,” said Reid Davis, the FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge.

Both Qualls and Ekong will both remain in federal custody until they are sentenced at a later date. The conspiracy to sex traffic a minor carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.
The charge of sex trafficking of a minor carries a minimum term of 10 years and a maximum term of life in prison.