More victims sought after Fayetteville arrest in human trafficking investigation: Police

FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. (WNCN) — A felon was arrested this week in Fayetteville on six felony prostitution charges, with officers reaching out to possibly more victims in a “widespread trafficking network” that stretched to Florida, police said.

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Mark Pressley Jr., 33, who was arrested Tuesday on promote prostitution-advance charges, is also facing felony drug charges and three counts of possession of a firearm by a felon, according to court records and a Fayetteville Police Department news release.

Pressley was also charged with felony break/enter terrorize after a Tuesday incident that also injured a woman at a Fayetteville home, police said.

“Investigators have reason to believe that the defendant operated a widespread trafficking network between the greater Fayetteville area and parts of South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida between 2022 to the present,” officers said in the release.

The news release said the suspect, who used aliases including “John Doe,” operated out of local motels, short-term rentals, and online commercial marketplaces.

“Law enforcement and victim advocacy groups are urgently appealing to anyone who may have interacted with Mark Pressley Jr., or who has information regarding these operations, to come forward,” officers said.

Officers emphasized that survivors who come forward will have immediate access to comprehensive, trauma-informed support services.

The news release said resources are completely confidential and include:

• Safe housing and emergency shelter
• Comprehensive medical and mental health care
• Dedicated legal advocacy and immigration assistance
• Crisis counseling and ongoing case management

“The department’s primary focus is the safety, recovery, and well-being of these survivors,” officers said.

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The prostitution charges date from December 2025 through late May, with four cases linked to using the internet to solicit another for the purpose of prostitution, according to arrest warrants completed by Fayetteville police.

Two cases involved advancing “prostitution by reserving and providing a hotel room in his name for another person, knowing that said hotel room would be used for the purpose of prostitution,” warrants said.

Pressley was convicted in July 2013 of felony burglary of an unoccupied dwelling in Broward County, Florida, and was sentenced to 45 months, according to warrants about the firearm charges.

Drug charges in the case include three felony counts of trafficking in cocaine and one felony count of possession of methamphetamine.

Pressley is being held at the Cumberland County Detention Center on a $225,000 secured bond, the news release said.

Officers said anyone with information about this case or any other “commercial sex exploiter” should contact the Fayetteville/Cumberland County Crime Stoppers at calling (910) 483-TIPS (8477). Crimestoppers information can also be submitted electronically, by visiting https://www.fay-nccrimestoppers.org/

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