Mahnomen is a town with a population of approximately 1,200 that serves as the county seat of Mahnomen County, Minnesota. U.S. Highway 59 and Minnesota State Highway 200 are two of the main routes in Mahnomen. Prostitution and sex trafficking activity has been well-documented in the city and surrounding communities, and in unincorporated areas of the county. This activity and the problems and ancillary crimes it generates result in complaints to law enforcement agencies from residents and businesses.

Consumer-level demand provides the revenue stream for all prostitution and sex trafficking and has therefore been targeted by local law enforcement agencies as a strategy for prevention and response. For example, in July 2019, three men were arrested in Mahnomen during a sex trafficking sting by TRUST: the Tribes United Against Sex Trafficking Task Force. The identities of the men were included in news reports. The men arranged to meet investigators who were posing as sex trafficking victims on several social media platforms. They were taken into custody as they arrived at an arranged meeting place for a sexual encounter. The web-based reverse sting was led by the TRUST Task Force and was assisted by the White Earth Police Department and Mahnomen County Sheriff’s Office.