Source: US FBI
RAPID CITY – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC), the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI), the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, the Rapid City Police Department, the Ellsworth AFB Office of Special Investigations, the U.S. Marshals Service, and the FBI conducted a joint sex-trafficking and child exploitation operation during the 2025 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally.
“This sophisticated sting operation pulled together local, state, and federal law enforcement resources to take dangerous sexual predators off the streets and out of our communities,” said U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell. “We are fortunate here in South Dakota to have officers, agents, and detectives who collaborate each and every day to protect children throughout the state. Now that the operation has safely concluded, the U.S. Attorney’s Office is pleased to announce that four local men have been arrested and will be held to account in federal court.”
The operation resulted in federal charges against the following four men who were all separately arrested while attempting to meet with a person who they believed to be a 14-year-old girl for the purposes of engaging in sexual activity:
- Elmer Hopper, 36, Rapid City—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
- Beau Remington, 23, Black Hawk—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Attempted Transfer of Obscene Material to a Minor.
- Jayson “Javi” Gomez, 30, Rapid City—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
- Joshua Michael Allen, 36, Hermosa—charged with Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet.
“All the individuals who were arrested in this operation are South Dakota residents,” said South Dakota ICAC Task Force Commander Toby Russell. “This is a sad statistic for our state, but it is a reminder why these operations and investigations are so important. The level of support, cooperation, and teamwork between local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies during this operation is unique and does not happen elsewhere. This operation is truly a team effort. All the law enforcement personnel who participated in this operation and the members of the South Dakota ICAC Task Force work tirelessly every day to keep the children of South Dakota safe. They should all be commended for their tenacity and professionalism in how they pursue these offenders.”
The mandatory minimum penalty upon conviction for Attempted Enticement of a Minor is 10 years up to life in federal prison, along with a minimum term of supervised release of five years up to life.
These cases are 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.
The cases are being federally prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox.
The charges are merely accusations, and all four defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.