Wall Man Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Wall, South Dakota, man convicted of Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet and Receipt of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on April 26, 2024.

Miguel Antonio Alvarez, 50, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the Enticement charge and 20 years in federal prison for the Receipt charge, all to run concurrently. Additionally, Alvarez was sentenced to eight years of supervised released, and order to pay a $200 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $27,500 in restitution. Alvarez will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Alvarez was indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Enticement of a Minor, Distribution of Child Pornography, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty on January 24, 2024.

The convictions stem from Alvarez enticing a 14-year-old girl between April of 2022 and May of 2022 in Wall, South Dakota. Additionally, Alvarez was in receipt of hundreds of images and videos of 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, the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the FBI, the Pennington County's Office, and the Lynnwood Police Department in Snohomish County, Washington. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

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