Sioux Falls Man Appears in Federal Court on Attempted Commercial Sex Trafficking Charge
| U.S. Attorney’s Office April 16, 2014 |
United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Sioux Falls, South Dakota man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for attempted commercial sex trafficking.
James Anthony Murphy, age 21, was indicted on April 8, 2014. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge John E. Simko on April 9, 2014, and pled not guilty to the indictment.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 15 years in custody and a maximum of life imprisonment, a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Murphy attempted to recruit, entice, and obtain a person who had not attained the age of 14 years and knowing that the person would be caused to engage in a commercial sex act.
The charge is merely an accusation, and Murphy is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.
Murphy was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has been set for June 17, 2014.