Emily Nicole Yeary, Sex Trafficking of Minors, South Dakota 2025
A Rapid City woman has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for her role in a multistate sex trafficking operation that exploited minors from multiple states.
Emily Nicole Yeary, 26, of Summerset, South Dakota, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for her crimes. She will also pay a $700 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $3,000 in restitution to one of her victims.
According to court documents, Yeary was convicted of seven federal criminal offenses, including Enticement to Travel for Illegal Sexual Activity, Travel with Intent to Engage in Illicit Sexual Activity, Possession of Child Pornography, Obstruction of Justice, Tampering with a Witness, and Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor.
The investigation into Yeary's crimes revealed that she had traveled to multiple states to meet her victims and convince them to run away with her. She used social media and cell phone apps to present herself as an underage male named 'Riley' and gain access to minor females. At least one of her victims was sexually abused, and Yeary had sent sexually explicit photos of a prosthetic penis to another minor.
Yeary was arrested in June 2022 after being pulled over for speeding and found with a 14-year-old girl in her vehicle who had been reported missing from Mississippi. The investigation was a result of a multistate effort by law enforcement agencies, including the South Dakota Highway Patrol and the Division of Criminal Investigation.
'This is among the most heinous cases of child exploitation our office has prosecuted,' said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. 'The lengths to which Emily Yeary went to groom and then manipulate these young girls is reprehensible.'
Yeary pleaded guilty to seven federal offenses on November 1, 2024, and was sentenced on January 3, 2025.
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Sex Crimes|Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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