Woman Sentenced to 10 Years for Trafficking a Minor

United States Attorney Joe Kelly announced that Brooklyn Pohl, age 37, of Wisconsin, was sentenced today in federal court by United States District Court Judge Robert F. Rossiter, Jr.  Pohl received a sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment.  There is no parole in the federal system.  After her release from prison, she will begin a five-year term of supervised release.

On November 22, 2016, law enforcement made contact with a 16-year-old minor who was found to be by herself at a truck stop in Gretna, Nebraska.  Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol determined that between November 18, 2016, and November 22, 2016, Brooklyn Pohl and the minor female traveled from Illinois to Iowa and Nebraska.  While traveling together, Pohl transported and advertised the minor for the purpose of engaging in prostitution in the States of Iowa and Nebraska.  Pohl and the minor stayed together at various motels in Iowa and Nebraska, posting online advertisements offering to perform sex acts for money.  Pohl, using her cell phone as well as the cell phone of the minor, advertised the minor’s picture on Backpage.com to solicit commercial sex.  After posting the minor’s picture and advertisement on Backpage.com, Pohl would assist the minor with negotiating the price of the commercial sex acts with potential customers. 

As a result of the Backpage.com advertisements, the minor engaged in numerous commercial sex acts in Iowa and Nebraska.  Oftentimes, Pohl would remain in the motel room while the minor engaged in sex acts with customers.  Pohl used at least some of the money from the minor’s commercial sex acts to purchase a vehicle in Iowa, which Pohl then used to transport herself and the minor to Nebraska, where they continued to advertise and engage in sex acts. 

This case was investigated by the Nebraska State Patrol, Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Nebraska Attorney General’s Office, and the Sheboygan Police Department, Sheboygan, Wisconsin.