Rapid City Man Sentenced to Over 21 Years in Federal Prison for Multiple Child Exploitation and Pornography Offenses

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced a Rapid City, SD, man convicted of Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography, and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor. The sentencing took place on May 30, 2025.

William Henry Riese, 34, was sentenced to 21 years and eight months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. Riese was ordered to pay $400 in special assessments to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and to forfeit the cell phone he used to commit his crimes.

A federal grand jury indicted Riese in August 2022. He was found guilty at the conclusion of a jury trial in Rapid City in February 2025.

Riese was arrested following an undercover sex trafficking operation during the Sturgis Bike Rally that targeted predators on the Internet. After multiple days of sending sexually explicit messages, videos, and photos with a person Riese believed to be a 14-year-old girl, Riese negotiated a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Riese went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was met by law enforcement agents rather than the child he intended to meet. Riese was immediately arrested and has remained in custody since his arrest.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.

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