Four South Dakota Men Arrested Child Exploitation Sting Sturgis Rally

During the 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, a coordinated sting operation led by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and involving local, state, and federal agencies resulted in the arrest of four South Dakota men on federal child exploitation charges. The men, who believed they were meeting a 14-year-old girl for sexual purposes, face charges including attempted enticement of a minor using the internet, with one also charged for attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. The operation was part of the Department of Justice's Project Safe Childhood initiative, which focuses on combating child sexual exploitation nationwide. U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell highlighted the multi-agency collaboration's role in removing dangerous sexual predators from communities, while ICAC Task Force Commander Toby Russell emphasized the importance of such investigations in protecting children. If convicted, the defendants face a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years up to life in federal prison. The arrests included Elmer Hopper and Jayson Gomez from Rapid City, Beau Remington from Black Hawk, and Joshua Michael Allen from Hermosa, all presumed innocent until proven guilty.