A Henderson, Nevada, man was recently sentenced for his involvement in a sex trafficking operation that targeted underage girls during the 2015 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
Michael Z. Preston, age 29, was convicted of Attempted Trafficking in Involuntary Servitude and Forced Labor after an undercover operation involving the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s office.
Preston responded to an online advertisement posted by undercover agents, which purported to offer young girls for sex, and proceeded to negotiate the time and place they would meet, along with the price he would pay, which was $55.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins prosecuted the case, which stemmed from Preston’s online interactions with a person he believed to be associated with a 15-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent.
On June 2, 2017, Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court, sentenced Preston to 24 months of imprisonment, followed by 2 years of supervised release, and ordered him to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Preston was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after the sentencing.
The arrests were a result of a joint effort between law enforcement agencies to target individuals willing to pay for sex with underage girls obtained through the Internet.
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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