A Sioux Falls man has been sentenced to 12 years and 7 months in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor using the internet.
Joshua David Catron, 34, was sentenced on March 4, 2024, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier. He was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.
Catron will need to register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on March 3, 2023, when Catron, using his cellular phone to access the application MeetMe, attempted to persuade an undercover agent posing as a 15-year-old female to distribute child pornography to him.
The case was investigated by the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, Sioux Falls Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children task force.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Catron was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Related Federal Cases
- Miguel Antonio Alvarez, Enticement of a Minor, South Dakota 2023 · South Dakota
- Gordon Weston, Enticement of a Minor, South Dakota 2024 · Texas
- Nathan William Juhala, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the In… · South Dakota
- David Seaboy Sr, Child Abuse, South Dakota 2019 · South Dakota
- William Nicholas Riley, Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, South Dakota 2021 · South Dakota
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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