A Baltimore man has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges related to child sex trafficking. Deion “Poppa Fetti” Philip, 33, faces two counts of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transportation of a minor.
The indictment was announced by Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, along with officials from the FBI’s Baltimore Field Office, the Baltimore County State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Maryland State Police.
According to the indictment, Philip allegedly trafficked two minors for commercial sex acts for profit. One victim was trafficked over several weeks in 2025, while the other was trafficked between October and November 2025.
"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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit justice.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit justice.gov/psc and click on the 'Resources' tab on the left of the page," according to officials.
An indictment does not mean guilt has been established; those charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
If found guilty, Philip could face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each count of sex trafficking a minor. The maximum penalty is life imprisonment per count. However, sentences in federal cases are often less than the maximum allowed because judges consider guidelines as well as other statutory factors when determining penalties.
U.S. Attorney Hayes commended law enforcement agencies involved in investigating this case and thanked Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn for prosecuting it.
Additional information about the Maryland U.S. Attorney’s Office can be found at www.justice.gov/usao-md and https://www.justice.gov/usao-md/community-outreach.
