A former D.C. police officer and registered sex offender, Linwood Barnhill, has been arrested and charged with additional crimes against children, including sex trafficking. He was taken into custody on May 1 as part of a nationwide operation targeting child predators, according to federal authorities.
Barnhill, 59, had been a registered sex offender in Washington, D.C., and now faces charges for recruiting minors to participate in commercial sex acts for profit. The criminal complaint reveals that Barnhill lured a minor from a Maryland strip club, the Ebony Inn, where she was forced to engage in sexual acts in exchange for money. She later told investigators that Barnhill required her to work in the club’s VIP room with multiple men.
In a separate incident, another witness testified that Barnhill knowingly transported multiple minor children to K Street, Northeast, and forced them into street prostitution. These actions have led to a series of charges, including sex trafficking, fraud, and racketeering. The investigation is ongoing and led by the FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force.
Barnhill had served in the Metropolitan Police Department’s Seventh District, and his past criminal history includes a 2014 conviction for pandering a minor and possessing child pornography. Ten years ago, he was sentenced to seven years in prison for similar offenses, including inducing a 15-year-old girl into sex work.
As part of the broader operation, authorities also announced two additional arrests. Jamie Greer Spies, a woman accused of soliciting child sexual abuse images, and Timothy Brockerman, who traveled to D.C. to meet with a six-year-old, were both apprehended.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi emphasized the severity of the case, stating, “These depraved human beings, if convicted, will face the maximum penalty in prison, some life. We will find you, we will arrest you, and we will charge you. If you are online targeting a child, you will not escape us.”
According to the Department of Justice, 115 children were rescued as part of this nationwide operation.
