UW-Milwaukee student trafficked, man accused taken into custody

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Briar Maier (Jefferson County Sheriff's Office photo)

MILWAUKEE - A Johnson Creek man accused of trafficking a University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee student for months, collecting thousands of dollars from her in the process, has been taken into custody.

Wanted man arrested

In court:

A warrant for 22-year-old Briar Maier's arrest was issued on April 29. Jefferson County Jail records indicate he has since been arrested and booked. 

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Milwaukee County prosecutors charged Maier with one felony count of human trafficking. It's unclear when he will appear in court.

Briar has a criminal record that includes convictions for criminal damage to property, drug possession and disorderly conduct, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.

College student trafficked

Dig deeper:

A criminal complaint said the victim, who was 18 years old at the time, was "terrified" of Maier and said he used her as "his puppet." She said she knew he had guns and threatened her on several occasions.

The two met on Snapchat and, in October 2024, court filings said she picked him up from The Rave on Wisconsin Avenue. They went back to her room at Sandburg Residence Hall.

Sandburg Residence Halls at UWM

Prosecutors said Maier stayed in the victim's room for two or three nights and introduced her to what she thought was MDMA, also known as ecstasy or molly, but was actually crack cocaine. The victim said she became addicted to the drug and would later buy as much as $300 worth from Maier every week.

Maier took the victim's phone and began contacting random men through her social media accounts, according to court filings, asking those men if they wanted to pay for sex acts. He would take nude photos and videos of the victim and send them to men in exchange for money – getting up to $300 per day – that he kept for himself and spent on drugs.

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In November 2024, the complaint said Maier drove the victim to an unknown location where she collected money for performing a sex act and gave it to Maier. Maier later arranged for her to have sex with men for money, which happened more than 10 times between October 2024 and February 2025. Court filings said Maier collected $3,487 – not including cash – from the victim during that time.

The complaint said Maier also used the victim's credit card and tried to open lines of credit in her name. He told her he would provide her with "everything she would ever want and need."