UPDATE APRIL 2022:
A Rapid City man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet has been sentenced in federal court.
Christopher Truax, age 35, was sentenced to 14 years in federal prison, followed by lifetime supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Truax will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Truax was arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators. Following multiple chats and text messages with a person Truax believed to be a 13-year old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, he proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Truax went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
DECEMBER 11, 2022:
A 34 year old man from Rapid City, South Dakota has been found guilty of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet as a result of a federal jury trial in Rapid City.
Evidence at trial established that Christopher Truax was arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2020 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators. Following multiple chats and text messages with a person Truax believed to be a 13 year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, he proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Truax went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest.
The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of five years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has not been set. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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