Righteous Rage

The Kentucky Supreme Court has permanently disbarred an attorney convicted of human trafficking charges.

Fox 19 news reported

A Northern Kentucky attorney will only spend six months in jail after pleading guilty to human trafficking involving sex charges.

Robert Poole 53, appeared in Kenton County court Friday to be sentenced.

After his release from the Kenton County Jail, Poole will be on probation for five years.

If he violates his probation, he will go to jail for eight years according to Poole’s attorney.

Judge Gregory Bartlett says he reluctantly agreed with the Commonwealth’s sentencing recommendation.

“I may be showing my anger here but I think it’s righteous. Righteous rage. We’re not dealing with minor crime here. This is major stuff. Victimizing young women for sexual activity. It’s wrong,” Judge Bartlett said.

Poole was also ordered to pay $40,000 to the Human Trafficking Victims Fund and a 10-year protective order will be put in place for nine different victims.

Poole, an attorney based in Boone County, pleaded guilty to five counts of promoting human trafficking for commercial sexual activity in October, according to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron.

Prosecutors say Poole trafficked five women for sexual activity in Kenton County for himself and others.

He accepted a plea deal that dropped charges of rape and bribery, Cameron announced at the time.

Poole has also pleaded guilty to human trafficking charges in Boone County, court documents show.

In exchange for the guilty plea, he cannot serve additional jail time for the Boone County charges. His sentences will run concurrently.

Poole will be sentenced in Boone County court on Jan. 6, 2022, for two counts of promoting human trafficking.

Prosecutors say Poole teamed up with former Campbell County District Judge Tim Nolan to set up the trafficking network.

“Former Judge Timothy Nolan and Rob Poole acted together as a team. They recruited these girls through various means. They found young women who were in vulnerable states. Most of them had drug problems. Most of them had legal problems and they used those vulnerabilities to manipulate them to be basically their own private prostitutes,” Det. Tom Loos of Erlanger police said in court.

Nolan was sentenced in 2018 to 20 years in prison for human trafficking charges.

(Mike Frisch)