JUNE 2022:
A Cavour man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet has been sentenced in federal court.
David Robert Farrell, age 40, must spend 10 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between April 22 and April 27, 2021, when Farrell knowingly used his cell phone to persuade and entice a 15-year-old female to meet with him at a hotel in Sioux Falls, for the purpose of having sexual activity. Farrell had been texting with a person he knew to be a 15-year-old female. Unknown to him, and before the criminal conduct occurred, an undercover law enforcement officer assumed the identity of the 15-year-old female online. Some of his communications were sexual in nature and he expressed his intent to meet with the 15-year-old at a hotel in Sioux Falls for the purpose of engaging in sexual activity.
This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.
MAY 2021:
A Cavour, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Attempted Production of Child Pornography, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, and Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor.
David Robert Farrell, age 39, pled not guilty.
The Indictment alleges that on April 22, 2021, Farrell knowingly attempted to coerce a minor female to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions. Such images would be then transported in interstate and foreign commerce with a computer. The Indictment also alleges that on or about April 27, 2021, Farrell knowingly traveled to engage in sexual conduct with the same minor. Farrell again used his cellular telephone to attempt to knowingly persuade that minor to engage in sexual activity. Finally, the Indictment alleges that between April 22, 2021, and April 23, 2021, Farrell also used his cellular telephone to transfer and attempt to transfer obscene materials to the minor female, who had not attained the age of 16.
The maximum penalty if convicted is up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and up to $300 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
Farrell was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
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