Baltimore rapper Deion “Poppa Fetti” Philip is now facing federal child sex-trafficking charges, with a grand jury indictment handed up yesterday that piles on top of an already serious state case, authorities said.
The 33-year-old is accused of trafficking two minors and transporting a minor for commercial sex. The new charges arrive months after Baltimore County prosecutors brought their own case and after investigators say they located two missing juveniles.
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland, Philip has been charged with two counts of sex trafficking of a child and one count of transporting a minor. Prosecutors say the indictment alleges that he trafficked two minor victims to engage in commercial sex, including one for several weeks in 2025 and another from October to November 2025. Each federal sex-trafficking count carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life.
Maryland State Police say the case started in September 2025, when troopers spotted what appeared to be an online advertisement offering sex acts and then found a missing juvenile at a Towson hotel. In a release, the Maryland State Police reported that investigators ultimately recovered two missing girls and that Philip was arrested on Nov. 4, 2025, in Hanover, Pennsylvania. Another suspect was later arrested in Minnesota.
The federal indictment follows a November 2025 Baltimore County indictment that hit Philip with nine state felony counts, according to the Baltimore Sun. Charging documents reviewed in that reporting say evidence pulled from a victim’s phone helped identify Philip, and that a juvenile told investigators she did not want to engage in prostitution.
Legal stakes
Federal prosecutors say each sex-trafficking count carries a mandatory minimum of 10 years and up to life in prison, although a judge will ultimately decide any sentence after weighing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The U.S. Attorney’s Office identified Assistant U.S. Attorney Colleen Elizabeth McGuinn as the prosecutor leading the federal case and credited the FBI, Maryland State Police, and Baltimore County authorities for their joint investigation. Officials noted the prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative that targets child sexual exploitation.
The Maryland State Police urged anyone with information to contact investigators at 410-694-4700. The National Human Trafficking Hotline is 1-888-373-7888. Local and federal agencies say they plan to continue coordinating as the case moves through federal court.
