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

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced an Aldie, Virginia, man for Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on August 2, 2024.

Tyler Grimes, 26, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Grimes will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

A federal grand jury indicted Grimes in June of 2023. He pleaded guilty on April 3, 2024.

Grimes used the internet-based application Omegle and his cellular phone to entice a minor to engage in sexually explicit activity. The minor was born in February of 2014, making her seven years old at all relevant times. During his communications with the minor, who lived in Rapid City, South Dakota, he repeatedly asked her for nude photos and videos of herself. She complied. After Grimes' communications were discovered by the minor's father, the minor was forensically interviewed. Many images and videos of child pornography between Grimes and the victim were located on the victim's iPad.

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 and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.

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