Barbara Whaley given Liberation Award by Catholic Charities for representing 19 victims
FRANKFORT, KY. (Dec. 12, 2018) – An assistant attorney general for Attorney General Andy Beshear has received a victims advocacy award from human trafficking awareness advocates for her work in the 20-year conviction of a former Northern Kentucky judge.
Barbara Whaley, of Lexington, received Catholic Charities of Louisville’s Liberation Award for the conviction of Timothy Nolan, 71, in May on 21 counts, including human trafficking of adults, promoting human trafficking of minors and unlawful transaction with minors, against 19 victims.
“Barbara’s extensive prosecutorial experience and her tremendous knowledge of Kentucky law is no doubt in part why Barbara knew early on that human trafficking charges would be the most appropriate charges for the crimes committed in this case,” said Marissa Castellanos, program director for Catholic Charities’ Bakhita Empowerment Initiative. “She was dedicated to seeking justice on behalf of these victims, speaking on their behalf again and again during the many months this case went through Northern Kentucky courts.”
Castellanos said several victims in the case were in court during Nolan’s sentencing, and gave Whaley their impact statements to read aloud in court.
Campbell County Police Department Sergeant Donnie Dornheggen who investigated the Nolan case was also presented with a Liberation Award from Catholic Charities.
The Liberation Awards are presented annually to honor individuals or agencies that have done tremendous work raising awareness of, educating others about, advocating for or directly serving the needs of human trafficking victims in Kentucky.
The awards are given out by the Bahkita Empowerment Initiative, a program to combat human trafficking through Catholic Charities of Louisville, to honor individuals for their passion, selflessness and sacrifice.
According to Castellanos, Nolan’s conviction resulted in $60,000 being placed into the state’s human trafficking victims fund.
“Despite the fact that this fund was established in 2013, no money had every been allotted to it until now,” she said.
As part of his conviction, Nolan paid $60,000 to the victims fund and $100,000 in asset forfeiture. Nolan is subject to lifetime sex offender registration.
Whaley, who has worked for eight Kentucky attorneys general, said she is honored to receive the award and will continue to fight for those who are targeted for sex trafficking.
“In recent years, while many enjoy relative prosperity, those of us in the trenches are seeing the opposite – despair, depression, hopelessness – making victimization in the crime of sex trafficking increasingly easy,” Whaley said. “As more cases of sex trafficking are prosecuted, I hope understanding of this insidious crime can spur efforts to end it. I applaud my boss Attorney General Andy Beshear for leading the charge.”
Beshear’s office secured a record 39 human trafficking and other related offenses arrests in 2018, including Whaley’s work to convict Nolan. Currently, the office is working 31 active human trafficking cases.
“Barbara has shown over here career and throughout this administration that her pursuit of justice for victims has no limits,” Beshear said. “She works tirelessly day in and day out to protect Kentuckians from those who would seek to cause them harm. Look no further than the Nolan case where she represented 19 victims and their families.”
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