New Jersey Man Sentenced for Transporting Women to Virginia for Prostitution

NORFOLK, Va. – A Stratford, New Jersey man was sentenced today to two years in prison for transporting two women across state lines for the purpose of engaging in prostitution.

According to court documents, in April 2020, Rockwell Woodrow Pohlig, 30, transported two women to the Eastern District of Virginia, after having convinced one of the women that she was in a relationship with him and that they would open a business together. Pohlig also told the other woman that she was indebted to Pohlig because he had recently paid the funeral expenses for her family member. Once the women were in Virginia, Pohlig told them that they needed to earn money by engaging in commercial sex, and he directed one of them to advertise online their services for prostitution. Pohlig then paid for a third woman to fly to Virginia to engage in prostitution.

At the time of this conduct, Pohlig was being supervised in New Jersey for an unrelated offense.

Raj Parekh, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Raymond Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Washington, D.C.; and Paul Nudigate, Chief of Virginia Beach Police, made the announcement after sentencing by U.S. District Judge Arenda Wright Allen.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Montoya prosecuted the case.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia or on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:20-cr-63.