New York Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. Circuit Judge Jonathan A. Kobes has sentenced a Wolcott, New York, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on January 31, 2023.

Christopher Thomas Dahl, 29, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by 5 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and a $5,000 special assessment to the Victims of Trafficking Fund. Dahl will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Dahl was indicted for Attempted Commercial Sex Trafficking of a Minor and Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet by a federal grand jury in August of 2021. He pleaded guilty on August 19, 2022.

Dahl was arrested and federally indicted as a result of an undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2021 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators. Following multiple text messages with an undercover persona, Dahl negotiated a time and place he would meet a 14-year-old girl to have sex. Additionally, Dahl agreed to pay the undercover persona $250 for the unlawful sex acts with the minor. When Dahl went to the pre-determined location to meet the undercover persona, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest. 

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Dahl was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.