Spearfish Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Attempted Enticement of a Minor

United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Spearfish, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet was sentenced on March 28, 2022, by U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken.

Bernard Andrew Wagner, Jr., age 59, was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Wagner will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Wagner was federally indicted and arrested after attempting to sexually entice an undercover law enforcement agent posing as a minor after Wagner started sending inappropriate messages to a 15-year-old female he knew personally.

This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Spearfish Police Department, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s office.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

Wagner was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.