Donald William Laun, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, South Dakota 2023

A Deadwood man has been sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor using the internet.

RAPID CITY – A local man has been put behind bars for trying to lure a minor into a sexual encounter over the internet.

Donald William Laun, 62, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Laun will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

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 U.S. government.

Laun was indicted for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet by a federal grand jury in August of 2022.

According to court documents, Laun was arrested as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2022 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators.

Following multiple chats and sexually explicit text messages with a person Laun believed to be a 14-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, Laun proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts.

When Laun went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest.

This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Laun was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.

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