Madison Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Enticement of a Minor
Lawrence Johnson, 51, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux Falls after pleading guilty to attempted enticement of a minor using the internet.
3 reports on this incident · first at Sep 9, 2026, 4:56 a.m. ET
Earlier reports
Sep 11, 2026, 11:22 a.m. ET
Madison man sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor
A Madison, South Dakota, man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota announced on September 8, 2026.
Lawrence Johnson, 51, was sentenced by U.S. Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange on August 31, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The sentence includes five years of supervised release, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and a requirement that Johnson register as a sex offender upon release from federal prison, the office said. Johnson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024 and pleaded guilty on June 1, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The conviction stemmed from an undercover chat operation conducted by the Des Moines County, Iowa, Sheriff's Office between September 15, 2024, and October 10, 2024, in which law enforcement posed online as underage child personas, according to the office. In Johnson's case, he used his cell phone to access Facebook and befriended "Abby," an undercover law enforcement officer who told him she was 13 years old, the office said. Throughout the conversation, Johnson attempted to convince "Abby" to send him nude images of herself and travel to South Dakota for the purpose of having sex with him, according to the office. When interviewed by law enforcement, Johnson admitted his behavior and his belief that "Abby" was a real 13-year-old girl from whom he was seeking sexually explicit images and sex, the office said.
The case was investigated by the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations, and was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The office said the case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006.
Sep 9, 2026, 4:56 a.m. ETFirst report
Madison Man Sentenced to 10 Years for Attempted Enticement of a Minor
A Madison, South Dakota, man was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison for attempted enticement of a minor using the internet, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota. The sentencing took place on August 31, 2026, before U.S. Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange. Johnson, 51, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He must register as a sex offender upon release.
Johnson was indicted by a federal grand jury in December 2024 and pleaded guilty on June 1, 2026. The conviction stemmed from an undercover chat operation by the Des Moines County, Iowa, Sheriff's Office between September 15 and October 10, 2024. Law enforcement posed as underage personas online. Johnson used his cell phone to access Facebook and befriended "Abby," an undercover officer who said she was 13. He attempted to convince her to send nude images and travel to South Dakota for sex. Johnson was arrested and admitted his behavior and belief that "Abby" was a real 13-year-old girl.
The case was investigated by the Des Moines County Sheriff's Office, the South Dakota DCI, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative. Johnson was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
The announcement was made on September 8, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
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- Version 111 Sept 2026, 15:22current
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