Former ICU Nurse Convicted of Snapchat Grooming and Trafficking Teen Girl in Georgia
Atlanta, GA – Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr announced that a former ICU nurse has been convicted and sentenced for trafficking a 16-year-old girl after months of online grooming via Snapchat and other social media apps.
Reed Cohen Skelton, 26, of Bowersville, pleaded guilty on February 12, 2026, in Fulton County to:
- 2 counts of Trafficking of Persons for Sexual Servitude
- 1 count of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor
He was sentenced to 25 years, with the first 10 years to be served in prison and the remaining 15 years on strict probation. Skelton is also required to register as a sex offender for life. As part of his plea agreement, he surrendered his nursing license.
According to the case summary presented in court, Skelton first contacted the victim through social media platforms, including Snapchat. Over several months, he requested and exchanged sexually explicit content with the minor, building trust and grooming her for exploitation.
In November 2024, Skelton traveled to Cobb County, picked up the 16-year-old, and transported her to a hotel in Fulton County. There, he rented a room, engaged in commercial sex acts with the victim, paid her $500, and created and possessed digital recordings of the encounters.
“This is the disturbing reality that we’re seeing online, where traffickers are targeting our children for abuse and exploitation,” said Attorney General Chris Carr. “Whether it’s Snapchat or Roblox or any other app, child predators will find a way to communicate with their next victim, and we’re doing everything in our power to stop them. Our team is on the ground leading this fight, and we won’t rest until every child is safe and every trafficker is brought to justice.”
The case was prosecuted by former Assistant Attorney General Kaitlyn (Fain) Salinas and Assistant Attorney General Claire Anderson of the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit.
The investigation was led by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s (GBI) Human Exploitation and Trafficking (HEAT) Unit, with key assistance from the Cobb County Police Department and the Attorney General’s Human Trafficking Prosecution Unit. Supporting agencies included the Gainesville Police Department, Hart County Sheriff’s Office, Hall County Sheriff’s Office, Fulton County Sheriff’s Office, and Georgia State Patrol.
