Indiana Man Sentenced on Child Pornography Charge

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that an Elkhart, Indiana, man was sentenced on April 17, 2018, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Brendan Leiter, age 26, was sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Leiter was one of ten men who were arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2016 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting persons seeking to pay to have sex with underage girls or boys obtained through the Internet.  The conviction stemmed from Leiter communicating with someone he believed to be a minor for the purpose of engaging in sexual acts, and requesting the minor send him a nude image of herself. 

The undercover operation and arrests were a joint effort between the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, 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.

Leiter was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.