Minnesota man pleads guilty in North Dakota to sex trafficking of a child

FARGO, N.D. — A Minneapolis man pleaded guilty Monday in federal court to trafficking minors for sex.

This plea resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Fargo, North Dakota Police Department.

Anthony Lamarr Sims, 21, aka “Mar Mar,” pled guilty before U. S. District Judge Ralph R. Erickson to one count of sex trafficking of children.

This case came to the attention of law enforcement after a Fargo, North Dakota police officer encountered the 15-year-old victim during a traffic stop on January 16, 2015. Following an investigation, it was discovered that Sims brought the victim from Minneapolis to Fargo for the purpose of prostitution. Before he traveled to Fargo on January 15, 2015, Sims directed others to post ads on backpage.com to advertised young women available for commercial sex.

Sentencing has tentatively been set for April 18, 2016, at the U. S. District Court in Fargo. Sims faces 10 years to life in prison and a $250,000 fine.

This investigation was conducted under HSI’s Operation Predator, an international initiative to protect children from sexual predators. Since the launch of Operation Predator in 2003, HSI has arrested more than 12,000 individuals for crimes against children, including the production and distribution of online child pornography, traveling overseas for sex with minors, and sex trafficking of children. In fiscal year 2014, more than 2,300 individuals were arrested by HSI special agents under this initiative and more than 1,000 victims identified or rescued.

HSI encourages the public to report suspected child predators and any suspicious activity through its toll-free Tip Line at 1-866-DHS-2-ICE or by completing its online tip form. Both are staffed around the clock by investigators. From outside the U.S. and Canada, callers should dial 802-872-6199. Hearing impaired users can call TTY 802-872-6196. Suspected child sexual exploitation or missing children may be reported to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children, an Operation Predator partner, via its toll-free 24-hour hotline, 1-800-THE-LOST.

For additional information about wanted suspected child predators, download HSI’s Operation Predator smartphone app or visit the online suspect alerts page. HSI is a founding member and current chair of the Virtual Global Taskforce, an international alliance of law enforcement agencies and private industry sector partners working together to prevent and deter online child sexual abuse.