Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals Affirms Conviction and Sentence of Belle Fourche Man for Commercial Sex Trafficking

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announces that the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals has affirmed the federal conviction and sentence of a Belle Fourche, South Dakota, man. 

Jerry Lane Golliher, age 33, was convicted in October of 2014, in federal district court in Rapid City of Commercial Sex Trafficking. The conviction stemmed from Golliher attempting to have sex with a 13 year-old girl for $150 during the 2013 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.  In February of 2015, the district court sentenced Golliher to 15 years’ imprisonment.

During his trial, the federal jury heard that Golliher negotiated online with an undercover agent posing as a “pimp” to engage in sexual acts with a 13 year-old girl in exchange for money, and that he showed up at the meeting time and place with the appropriate amount of money, and confirmed he was there to have sex with the girl. 

In his appeal, Golliher argued that: (1) trial counsel was ineffective, prejudicing Golliher’s defense; the district court, the Honorable Karen E. Schreier, U.S. District Court Judge for the District of South Dakota, erred by (2) committing prejudicial error in refusing to admit evidence offered by Golliher in support of his defense; and (3) abused its discretion by not allowing the jury to review trial testimony during deliberations; and (4) the government’s misconduct deprived Golliher of a fair trial.  

In the published opinion, the federal court of appeals affirmed the district court in all respects.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Ben Patterson prosecuted the case at trial, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Kevin Koliner handled the appeal for the government.  The investigation was conducted jointly by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.