Beaufort County Men Charged with Child Sex Trafficking, Coercion, Child Sexual Abuse Material Distribution

NOTE: This press release is about a case that occurred during the 43-day government shutdown and is now available after the return to normal operations.

CHARLESTON, S.C. — A federal grand jury in Charleston returned a nine-count indictment charging four Beaufort-area defendants with sex trafficking of a minor, sex trafficking conspiracy, coercion and enticement, and child sexual abuse material offenses:

• Jaquan Duvall Barnes, 30, of Port Royal, was charged with human trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, distribution and receipt of child sexual abuse material, and coercion and enticement of a minor.
• William James Youmans 35, of Beaufort, was charged with human trafficking conspiracy, sex trafficking of a minor, distribution and receipt of child sexual abuse material, and coercion and enticement of a minor.
• Guy Frank Talley, 28, of Beaufort, was charged with coercion and enticement of a minor.
• Alban Bryan, 64, of Saint Helena Island, was charged with sex trafficking of a minor, distribution and receipt of child sexual abuse material, and coercion and enticement of a minor. 

According to the indictment and evidence presented in court, a minor female victim had particular vulnerabilities—including drug dependance and status as a runaway—which were known to one or more of the defendants. 

Between December 2023 and January 2024, Bryan recruited, enticed, harbored, coerced, and trafficked a minor victim, knowing her status as a runaway, and obtained sex acts from the minor in exchange for drugs and housing.  It is further alleged that Bryan received and distributed child sexual abuse material depicting the minor victim. At a detention hearing, evidence was presented that Bryan, who had a familial relationship with the minor, also produced child sexual abuse material of the minor.  

Between January 2024 and March 2024, Barnes, Youmans, and Talley coerced and enticed the minor victim to engage in sex acts that violate federal and state law. Specifically, the indictment alleges that Barnes and Youmans trafficked the minor victim into the commercial sex trade in exchange for drugs, housing, and money, all while knowing the victim was a minor. Barnes and Youmans are accused of working together to exploit the minor, including by obtaining child sexual abuse material and compromising photographs of the minor, advertising her on the internet for commercial sex, communicating with customers to arrange commercial sex acts, transporting the minor to hotels, supplying the minor with illegal narcotics, and confiscating proceeds from the commercial sex scheme. Talley facilitated the exploitation by advertising the minor on the internet for commercial sex. The indictment further alleges that Youmans and Bryan received and distributed child sexual abuse material depicting the minor victim.

Each defendant faces a mandatory 10 years and up to life in federal prison. The defendants also face a lifetime supervision by the federal court system following any term of imprisonment, sex offender registration, and mandatory restitution payable to victims.

Barnes, Talley, Youmans were arraigned in federal court on Oct. 9 and were all ordered detained.  Bryan was ordered detained by U.S. Magistrate Judge Mary Gordon Baker pending trial after a contested detention hearing on Oct. 16.  U.S. District Judge Bruce Howe Hendricks will preside over the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the U.S. Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals, who sexually exploit children, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit http://www.justice.gov/psc.

The case was jointly investigated by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), with assistance from the Hardeeville Police Department, Beaufort County Sheriff's Office, Georgia Highway Patrol, and Jacksonville (Florida) Sheriff's Office.  Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amy F. Bower and Elliott B. Daniels are prosecuting the case. 

All charges in the indictment are merely accusations and that defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

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* The term “child pornography” is currently used in federal statutes and is defined as any visual depiction of sexually explicit conduct involving a person less than 18 years old. While this phrase still appears in federal law, “child sexual abuse material” is preferred, as it better reflects the abuse that is depicted in the images and videos and the resulting trauma to the child. The Associated Press Stylebook also discourages the use of the phrase “child pornography.”