A Wilmington man is being held on a $1 million bond after prosecutors laid out a sprawling list of sexual and voyeurism-related charges in court Friday. Michael Trey, 38, was arrested on Feb. 26 and now faces about 72 charges tied to roughly 30 open cases in New Hanover County. Prosecutors say the alleged conduct stretches from August 2024 through July 2025 and includes felony secret peeping, second-degree forcible rape and other sexual-offense counts.
According to WECT, court filings show Trey was indicted in two separate batches on Aug. 15, 2025 and Feb. 18, 2026, and most of the counts stem from alleged secret-peeping incidents. WECT also reports that Trey is being held at the New Hanover County Sheriff’s Office Detention Center under a $1 million bond, with his next court date set for March 19.
As reported by WWAY, investigators arrested Trey in Florida on a fugitive warrant before bringing him back to North Carolina. WWAY notes that the case file includes multiple secret-peeping charges, several counts tied to disseminating images allegedly obtained through peeping, several second-degree forcible sexual-offense and rape counts, sexual-battery charges and misdemeanor violations of a protective order.
Prosecutors say videos circulated on Telegram
Prosecutors told the court that images and videos of an alleged victim were found circulating on Telegram without her consent, and that many of the files show the woman asleep, according to WECT. Court records allege Trey secretly recorded and sexually assaulted multiple victims over more than a year, including incidents in which victims were allegedly unconscious or physically helpless.
Legal stakes and survivor resources
The charges include violent felonies that could bring substantial prison time if prosecutors secure convictions, and the case is expected to move through New Hanover County courts in the coming weeks. Local advocates and reporting note that investigations into secret recording and nonconsensual image sharing can be especially traumatic for survivors, and coverage included contact information for the Coastal Horizons Rape Crisis Center and the North Carolina Coalition Against Sexual Assault for anyone seeking help.
