Metro PD Vet Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking Minors

WASHINGTON – Linwood Barnhill, a 59-year-old registered sex offender and former Metropolitan Police Department officer, has pleaded guilty to sex trafficking a minor, according to U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. The grim revelation comes as the city grapples with another instance of corruption within its law enforcement ranks.

Barnhill, between April 2024 and April 2025, is accused of recruiting minor girls for commercial sex acts. His exploitation of these young victims earned him over $10,000 in profits from one girl alone. The ex-officer also allegedly coerced his victims into finding additional minors to be exploited further in the sex trade.

Judge Jia M. Cobb has set sentencing for Dec. 12, 2025. Barnhill faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum of life imprisonment for his heinous crimes.

The FBI’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force investigated this case, which is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Caroline Burrell. This investigation is part of the Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative, aimed at protecting children from online exploitation and abuse.

Project Safe Childhood was established in February 2006 as a nationwide effort to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet and identify and rescue victims. For more information about this critical initiative, visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Barnhill’s conviction serves as a stark reminder of the dark underbelly that lurks within positions of power, and the ongoing need for vigilance in protecting our most vulnerable citizens.

RELATED: Jennings Pleads Guilty to Murder