11 arrested in connection with online sex sting in Sioux Falls

Vanessa Carlson Bender, Sioux Falls Argus Leader
·2 min read
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Eleven men were arrested and charged in connection with an online sex sting earlier this month in Sioux Falls, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District South Dakota.

The men, listed below, ages 20-69, were arrested April 4 and are federally charged with attempted enticement of a minor using the internet.

  • Kyle Dean Bult, 38

  • Kalvin Michael Frankus, 37

  • Hunter Hill, 22

  • Stacy Shannon Hoover, 56

  • Ryan Nigro, 32

  • Jorge Manual Rodriguez-Marroquin, 47

  • Dylan Ryan, 24

  • Gerber David Santos Gonzalez

  • William Danery Sebastian, 33

  • Southy Thepmontry, 69

  • Carter Lee Tyree, 20

One of them, Bult, is a registered sex offender who was convicted of sexual exploitation of a minor in 2012.

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According to the press release, United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell said that the joint online sex crimes operation, part of Project Safe Childhood, ran from March 7 to March 12.  The operation was conducted by several law enforcement agencies including:

Homeland Security Investigations, the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, South Dakota Criminal Division of Criminal Investigation, Sioux Falls Police Department, Tea Police Department, Minnehaha County Sheriff’s Office, Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office, Watertown Police Department, Rapid City Police Department and the South Dakota Highway Patrol.

“This operation demonstrates the unsettling reality that here in our own communities, there are individuals using the internet to target young girls and boys for sex," Ramsdell said. "We are grateful to our federal, state, and local law enforcement partners, who regularly collaborate to safeguard children across South Dakota.”

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Special Agent in Charge Jamie Holt, HSI St. Paul, said the successful operation exhibits the threat child predators pose, and stresses the importance of working with local, state and federal law enforcement to bring these individuals to justice.

If convicted, the press release states the mandatory minimum penalty is 10 years with a maximum of life in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine.

Prosecutors for this case are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jeffrey C. Clapper and Elizabeth A. Ebert.

Ramsdell also emphasized in the press release the importance of parents and/or guardians monitoring their children’s internet use.

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This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: 11 arrested in connection with online sex sting in Sioux Falls