September 29, 2014

Rapid City Man Sentenced for Attempted Sex Trafficking

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Trafficking with Respect to Involuntary Servitude and Forced Labor was sentenced on September 23, 2014, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

John Miller, age 25, was sentenced to three years in custody, 36 months of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Miller was one of nine men who were arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2013 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting persons willing to pay to have sex with underage girls obtained through the Internet. All nine men were indicted for Commercial Sex Trafficking.

The conviction stemmed from Miller responding to a Craigslist.com advertisement posted by Division of Criminal Investigation undercover agents, which purported to offer young girls for sex. Following several e-mails with a person Miller believed to be associated with a 13-year old girl, but who in fact was an undercover agent, he proceeded to negotiate the time and place they would meet, along with the price he would pay, which was $150.

The undercover operation and arrests were a joint effort between the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins prosecuted the case.

Miller was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.