A Texas appeals court has upheld the life sentence of a woman convicted of human trafficking in Bowie County earlier this year.
Linda “Gucci” Dooley, 39, was found guilty in March by a jury and sentenced to life. Dooley posted ads for the services of a 16-year-old girl on a website and kept some of the money the girl earned in prostitution. Dooley provided the girl with drugs.
The girl was reported as a run-away and was staying at Dooley’s house in Texarkana, Texas. A woman who was a past victim of child sex trafficking assisted investigators in locating the girl.
The 6th District Court of Appeals in Texarkana issued an opinion Tuesday denying Dooley’s appeal. Dooley alleged she did not have effective legal representation and that her lawyer should have objected to testimony from a 24-year-old who testified he was sexually abused by Dooley as a child.
Dooley is currently in the custody of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice.
