Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Lawrence L. Piersol has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on August 12, 2024.

Southy Thepmontry, age 69, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Thepmontry also forfeited the cell phone used to commit the crime and must register as a sex offender once he is released from federal prison.

Thepmontry was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2024. He pleaded guilty on May 22, 2024.

The conviction stemmed from an incident on March 21, 2024, when Thepmontry used his cell phone to attempt to coerce an undercover agent posing as a 15-year-old female to engage in sexual activity. His conversation occurred on Facebook over the course of ten days. Thepmontry offered to pay the 15-year-old girl money in exchange for sex and was arrested at the meeting location where he possessed his cell phone and cash he withdrew from an ATM on his way.

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 HSI and the South Dakota Highway Patrol. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.

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