U.S. Attorney’s Office

District of South Dakota

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Nine Men Arrested in Sex Trafficking Operation

Acting United States Dennis R. Holmes announced that the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) conducted a joint sex trafficking operation during the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally. The operation began on August 6, 2021, and continued through August 12, 2021.

As a result, the following nine men were arrested and charged with a variety of offenses:

Alec Walker Daniel, 22, Rapid City, South Dakota: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

Alexander Wayne Basaldu, 35, Rapid City, South Dakota: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

Jesse James Young, 36, Rapid City, South Dakota: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

Joshua Robert Lehmann, 34, Rapid City, South Dakota: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

Christopher Thomas Dahl, 28, Wolcott, NY: Attempted Commercial Sex Trafficking of a Minor

Stephen Gregory Fontenot, 39, Black Hawk, South Dakota: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

Anthony James Kemp, 54, Spearfish, South Dakota: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

James Dean Hanapel, 20, Ellsworth AFB: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

Clayton John Paulson, 36, Spearfish, South Dakota: Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet is 10 years up to life in federal prison; any term of years, not less than five, up to lifetime supervised release; $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund; and a $5,000 assessment if not indigent. Restitution may also be ordered.

The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction for Attempted Commercial Sex Trafficking of a Minor is 15 years up to life in federal prison; a $250,000 fine; any term of years, not less than five, up to lifetime supervised release; $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund; and a $5,000 assessment if not indigent. Restitution may also be ordered.

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

The agencies involved in the operation were DCI, ICAC, HSI, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Ellsworth AFB Office of Special Investigations, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.

The cases are being federally prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office would like to extend its appreciation to all law enforcement partners involved in the investigations for their efforts and continued cooperation.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sd/pr/nine-men-arrested-sex-trafficking-operation

U.S. Attorney’s Office

Southern District of Florida

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, August 17, 2021

Fort Lauderdale Man Pleads Guilty to Sextortion of Children, Other Exploitation

Miami, Florida – A Fort Lauderdale man who blackmailed girls as young as 13 into having sex with him and other minor girls into sending him pornographic videos and images of themselves pled guilty today in federal district court in Ft. Lauderdale to child exploitation crimes.

Defendant Breshawn Hamilton, 21, admitted that from October 2019 through November 2020, he used Instagram and other social networking platforms to meet and communicate with at least seven girls between the ages of 11 and 15. During these conversations, Hamilton misrepresented his age, often pretending to be younger than he actually was in order to gain the minors’ trust. He would then convince the minors to send him sexually explicit images and videos of themselves. After obtaining the images and videos, Hamilton threatened to disseminate them unless the minors agreed to meet him for sexual intercourse or continue to provide him with additional videos and images. Even when the minors complied, Hamilton still disseminated the videos and images in question. Law enforcement confirmed that Hamilton met with some of the minor victims who resided in the Fort Lauderdale area in person and raped them, often in their own homes. At times, Hamilton recorded himself having sex with the minors.

Hamilton pled guilty to two counts of enticing a minor, four counts of production of child pornography, three counts of sending interstate extortionate threats, and one count of possession of child pornography. Hamilton is scheduled for sentencing at 9:00 a.m. on October 27, 2021, before U.S. District Judge Rodney Smith, who sits in Fort Lauderdale. He faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years’ imprisonment and a maximum of life imprisonment.

Juan Antonio Gonzalez, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Anthony Salisbury, Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Miami Field Office, announced the guilty plea.

HSI Miami’s Ft. Lauderdale office investigated the case with assistance from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, Broward Sheriff’s Office Special Victims Unit, and the South Florida Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.

Assistant United States Attorney Ajay Alexander is prosecuting the case.

https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl/pr/fort-lauderdale-man-pleads-guilty-sextortion-children-other-exploitation