Five South Dakota men are facing charges following a state child exploitation operation during the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Attorney General Marty Jackley said the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the sting.
Jackley said four of the suspects — including two Rapid City men, a Black Hawk man, and a Hermosa man — were arrested on federal charges for attempting to meet and engage in sexual activity with a person they believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The fifth suspect is a Summerset, South Dakota man who faces state charges for solicitation of someone he thought was an underage girl.
The task force, which is part of the Attorney General’s Office. Jackley said it worked in partnership with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshals Service during the operation, which was conducted Aug. 1 through Aug. 6.