Prosecutors dropped all pimping charges against a Brooklyn man today after they discovered his alleged victim was still turning tricks.
Robert Pannell, 36, had been charged with forcing a 17-year-old girl into prostitution in 2011, but all promoting prostitution and sex trafficking charges were dropped when prosecutors announced they had discovered sex-for-sale ads his accuser had posted on Backpage.com.
“We discovered a problem with the credibility of the witness and brought it to the attention of the court,” said Brooklyn District Attorney spokesman Jerry Schmetterer.
The girl previously testified at Pannell’s Brooklyn Supreme Court trial that she had never worked as a prostitute.
“She’s still in business,” said defense attorney David Jacobs. “He was very happy this morning when I told him the good news, that [his accuser] was a total liar.”
Jacobs added that prosecutors had information that the accuser had also worked as a prostitute before she made the allegations against his client.
Pannell pleaded guilty to gun possession and will be sentenced on that charge later this month.
“I was too scared to leave,” Pannell’s accuser said on the stand. “I was with him only two weeks. I have been suffering from Bipolar disorder and anxiety since I was 14.”
jsaul@nypost.com