Box Elder Man Sentenced to Life in Federal Prison

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Box Elder, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Attempted Receipt of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on April 26, 2024.

Vincent Alberto Barrios, 43, was sentenced to life in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $600 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Judge Schreier imposed a 30-year sentence on each Sexual Exploitation charge, a life sentence on each Enticement charge, and a 20-year sentence on each Receipt charge. Judge Schreier further ordered the sentences to run concurrently.

Barrios was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2023. He was found guilty of all charges following a three-day jury trial in December of 2023.

Barrios was arrested and federally indicted following the undercover sex trafficking operation conducted during the 2023 Sturgis Motorcycle Rally, targeting internet predators. Following multiple chats and sexually explicit text messages with a person Barrios believed to be a 13-year-old girl, but who was in fact an undercover agent, Barrios proceeded to negotiate a time and place he would meet the minor to engage in unlawful sex acts. When Barrios went to the pre-determined location to meet the minor, he was instead met by law enforcement agents and placed under arrest. During this time Barrios was also chatting with two other undercover agents Barrios believed to be 14-year-old girls. After a review of Barrios' phone, law enforcement located a text message conversation with a local 14-year-old girl and child pornography.

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 the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, HSI, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

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