Eric Sims, a 47-year-old man from Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been sentenced to 21 months in federal prison for his role in a prostitution ring that exploited women across state lines. On January 23, 2017, U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence, marking the end of a federal case that exposed a network of coercion, manipulation, and criminal exploitation.
Sims admitted guilt to Transportation for Prostitution on October 20, 2016, after being initially indicted on October 6, 2015, for Sex Trafficking Conspiracy by a federal grand jury. He did not act alone. Court documents reveal Sims aided and abetted individuals engaged in prostitution by providing them with shelter in Sioux Falls while they turned tricks, creating a revolving door of commercial sex under his roof.
His co-conspirator, Michael Dickey, played a key logistical role—transporting a woman from Minnesota to South Dakota specifically for prostitution. Dickey also managed the online facade of the operation, posting ads on Backpage.com and skimming proceeds from the victims’ exploitation. He was sentenced on August 29, 2016, to 30 months in federal prison for his crimes.
The investigation, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Sioux Falls Police Department, peeled back layers of a quiet but predatory operation thriving in plain sight. Ads on backpage.com—once a notorious hub for sex trafficking—were central to the scheme, allowing the defendants to solicit clients and move victims with minimal scrutiny.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case, securing convictions that underscore the federal government’s push to dismantle trafficking networks, even those operating at a regional level. Sims was ordered to pay $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and will face five years of supervised release following his prison term.
Immediately after sentencing, Sims was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service. The case stands as a stark reminder that sex trafficking isn’t always orchestrated by distant cartels—sometimes it’s run from a house in a quiet Sioux Falls neighborhood.
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: Official Source ↗
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