January 9, 2015

Colorado Man Sentenced for Attempted Sex Trafficking

United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that a Brighton, Colorado, man convicted of Attempted Trafficking with Respect to Involuntary Servitude and Forced Labor was sentenced on January 8, 2015, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Miguel Aguilar, age 20, was sentenced to 36 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Aguilar will also be required to register as a sex offender.

Aguilar 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.

The conviction stemmed from Aguilar responding to a law enforcement-generated Internet advertisement which purported to offer young girls for sex, and Aguilar negotiated the terms of a sexual encounter with a fictitious 13 year-old girl. Aguilar then met with an undercover agent, who was posing as someone who could provide the young girl for sex. The negotiated price was a quarter-ounce of marijuana, and Aguilar had the marijuana in his possession.

The investigation was conducted by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Meade County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

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