United States Attorney Brendan V. Johnson announced that Jerry Lane Golliher, age 32, of Rapid City, South Dakota, was found guilty of Commercial Sex Trafficking following a two-day federal jury trial held in U.S. District Court in Rapid City. The guilty verdict was returned on October 1, 2014.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in federal prison and up to life imprisonment and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum term of five years of supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Golliher was indicted for Commercial Sex Trafficking by a federal grand jury on August 13, 2013. He was one of nine men who were arrested and indicted as a result of a sex trafficking undercover operation conducted during the 2013 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting persons willing to pay money to have sex with underage girls. All nine men were indicted for Commercial Sex Trafficking.

Following several e-mails with a person who Golliher believed to be associated with a 13 year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, he proceeded to negotiate the time and place they would meet, as well as the price he would pay for sex with the girl, which was $150. When Golliher went to the pre-determined location to complete the transaction, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest.

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. Attorneys Sarah Collins and Ben Patterson prosecuted the case.

Golliher was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending sentencing.