South Dakota Man Pleads Guilty to Sex Trafficking of a Child and Solicitation to Murder a Federal Witness

U.S. Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Brandon Quincy Thompson, a/k/a Terence Maceo Clay, Jr., a/k/a “Kadafi,” a/k/a Hanee Rashid King, a/k/a Hanee Rasid King, age 27, of Tea, South Dakota, appeared before Chief U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier on November 16, 2010, and pled guilty to Counts 12 and 19 of the second superseding indictment that charged him with sex trafficking of a child and solicitation to murder a federal witness. Sex trafficking of a child carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both. Solicitation to murder a federal witness carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a $250,000 fine, or both.

Thompson admitted that, between February 1, 2008, and April 30, 2008, he knowingly trafficked a person he knew to be a juvenile to customers willing to pay to engage in commercial sex acts with that juvenile. He admitted that he knew force, fraud, or coercion was used to cause the juvenile to engage in the sex acts. He also admitted that he received a portion of the proceeds from those sex acts.

Thompson also admitted that, between February 1, 2010, and April 6, 2010, he solicited another person to murder someone in an effort to prevent that person from testifying against him in his case.

“Brandon Thompson is done sexually exploiting girls and young women,” U.S. Attorney Johnson said. “This investigation was a joint effort involving federal, state, and local officers and agents whose continued diligence after Thompson's arrest uncovered a plan to kill a federal witness. I am proud of their work and the work of our prosecutors.”

The investigation is being conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, and the Tea Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Koliner.

A presentence investigation was ordered, and a sentencing date was set for March 28, 2011. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshal pending sentencing.