Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A Rapid City man has been sentenced to ten years in federal prison after being convicted of attempted enticement of a minor using the internet. The sentencing, announced by U.S. Attorney Ron Parsons, was handed down by U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler on October 24, 2025.
James Fast Horse, age 47, will also serve five years of supervised release following his prison term. He was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $95 in restitution to the South Dakota Internet Crimes Investigation Fund.
Fast Horse was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2023 and pleaded guilty on July 28, 2025.
His arrest came during an undercover anti-sex trafficking operation at the Sturgis Bike Rally. Over several days, Fast Horse communicated through Facebook Messenger and his cell phone with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. In reality, he was speaking with a federal law enforcement officer operating an online undercover persona. During these conversations, Fast Horse described sexual acts he intended to commit with the minor and sent explicit images of himself. He also requested sexually explicit photos from her.
On the night of his arrest, Fast Horse drove for over an hour intending to meet the girl for sex. After stopping at a local business to buy sexual lubricant, he arrived at the designated location where law enforcement arrested him.
"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."
The investigation involved U.S. Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota DCI Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Fast Horse was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
