Five Men Arrested in Sex Trafficking Operation

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Ellsworth AFB Office of Special Investigations, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department conducted a joint sex-trafficking operation during the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  The operation began on August 4, 2023, and continued through August 10, 2023.  

As a result, the following five men were arrested and charged:

Burton Dave Chief, Jr., 35, Rapid City – Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

Vincent Alberto Barrios, 42, Box Elder - Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

James Halen Dreamer, 41, Rapid City - Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

James Peter Fast Horse, 45, Rapid City - Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

Jacob Chinni Wilson, 38, Rapid City - Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

“Working with our law enforcement partners, we were able to take more dangerous sexual predators off the streets of South Dakota this week,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “We appreciate the exceptional collaboration between state, local, and federal agencies that made this operation a success.”

The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction for Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor is 15 years up to 30 years in federal prison; and any term of years, not less than five, up to lifetime supervised release.

The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet is 10 years up to life in federal prison; and any term of years, not less than five, up to lifetime supervised release.

The charges are merely accusations, and all five defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The cases are being federally prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Heather Knox.