Feds Charge 5 Men Involved in Undercover Sex Sting in South Dakota

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (AP) — Five men have been charged in federal court in South Dakota with attempted commercial sex trafficking.

Authorities say the charges relate to responses to online advertisements during an undercover operation.

Those indicted are 25-year-old Benjamin Iverson and 29-year-old Scott Larson of Sioux Falls; 27-year-old Nathanuel Downs of Sioux City, Iowa; 29-year-old Lance Hunter Jr. of Little Rock, Iowa; and 26-year-old Jose Oxlaj of Guatemala.

All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty.

The charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in prison.

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