A local Sioux Falls man was convicted of sex trafficking on Thursday. The U.S. Attorney’s office and a team of officials are putting together a task force to stop sex trafficking.
Carl Campbell was convicted to three life sentences for commercial sex trafficking in Sioux Falls. Campbell was found guilty for one count of sex trafficking with force and two counts of sex trafficking involving a minor. U.S. Attorney Brendan Johnson says it’s time for citizens to accept that sex trafficking happens in South Dakota. He says it is time to act now to end this ugly process.
"The way this process often starts off is almost one of groomy. Where they will befriend the victims, they will be kind initinally to the victims. And then as the process evolves and they get the individuals into the commercial sex trafficking ring. What we find is they treat them as if though they are not even human beings," U.S. Attorney Johnson says.
Johnson says the perpetrators often prey on the individuals who are most vulnerable. The U.S. Attorney says these crimes are no longer tolerated in this state. He says when a person is caught commercializing or operating sex trafficking, they will go to prison for a long time if not the rest of their lives.