‘Making the Band’ reality star Kevin Barnes charged with sex trafficking
A rapper who made a name for himself on MTV’s “Making The Band” has been arrested for allegedly recruiting fans to be sex workers through social media.
Kevin Barnes, 37, has been charged with sex trafficking, the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department announced Tuesday.
Barnes, who also goes by Chopper, appeared in the second iteration of the MTV reality show, chosen by P. Diddy to join Da Band with other contestants and signed to host Sean Combs’ Bad Boy Records. The band disbanded after the third season.
After growing suspicious of Barnes’ online presence, a Las Vegas vice detective went undercover, posing as a sex worker to entice Barnes to reach out, according to an arrest report obtained by TMZ. Barnes allegedly called the detective and “bragged about frequent travel and having 7 homes across the country, including one in Las Vegas, while also telling the undercover Sin City was not a safe place to do business because law enforcement was cracking down.”
Barnes then allegedly invited the undercover agent to join his “team” or “stable,” and when the agent stalled, got angry and tried to force them to meet him in Charlotte, N.C.
Anyone who was contacted by Barnes to become a sex worker is urged to contact the Vice Section at 702-828-3455 or Crime Stoppers at 702-385-5555.
Police in Anne Arundel, Maryland, said there may be local victims after Barnes was arrested in Linthicum, then extradited to Las Vegas. Anyone in the area should call 410-222-4700.
