Rapid City Man Indicted for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.

John Ray Heath, age 51, was indicted in March of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann on March 24, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 10 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of five years of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count of conviction. Restitution may also be ordered.

The charge relates to Heath attempting to engage an undercover law enforcement agent, posing as a 14-year-old female, in sexual activity between January and March of 2023.

The charge is merely an accusation and Heath is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case. 

Heath was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.