Federal Jury Convicts Sioux Falls Man of Attempted Enticement of a Minor
- Steve Jurrens
- 4 days ago
- 2 min read
Northeast Radio SD News – South Dakota - A federal jury has found a Sioux Falls man guilty of attempting to entice a minor using the internet, according to an announcement from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of South Dakota. The verdict against 34‑year‑old Ryan Nigro was returned on June 4 following a three‑day trial in Sioux Falls.
Prosecutors said Nigro began communicating on Reddit with someone he believed to be a 12‑year‑old girl. “The conversation turned sexual, and he asked the 12-year-old girl to meet up, hoping to have a sexual encounter with her.”
When Nigro arrived at the meeting location, he was arrested. Investigators say the person he had been communicating with was actually an undercover law enforcement officer posing as a minor.
Nigro was indicted by a federal grand jury in April 2024. The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and a maximum of life, along with potential fines and supervised release. A $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund also applies.
Part of Project Safe Childhood Operation
The case was part of an undercover chat operation aimed at identifying individuals seeking sexual contact with minors. It also falls under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative focused on combating child exploitation.
According to the release, Project Safe Childhood “marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.”
Multiple Agencies Involved in Investigation
The investigation included cooperation among several agencies:
· Homeland Security Investigations
· Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
· South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation
· Sioux Falls Police Department
· Watertown Police Department
· Tea Police Department
· Rapid City Police Department
· Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office
· Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office
· South Dakota Highway Patrol
Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth E. Ebert‑Webb prosecuted the case.
A presentence investigation has been ordered, and a sentencing date will be set later. Nigro was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
