Spearfish Man Sentenced for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced that a Spearfish, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet was sentenced on February 9, 2018, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Nicholaus Tripp, age 29, was sentenced to 10 years of imprisonment and 10 years of supervised release and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.

Tripp was charged on January 10, 2017. The charge relates to Tripp posting an ad on Craiglist and then communicating with someone he believed to be the mother of two girls, ages 13 and 15, who was actually an undercover law enforcement agent, to arrange a meeting to engage in sexual acts with the girls.

This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Tripp was immediately remanded to the custody of the United States Marshals Service.