United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced Thursday that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Plankinton, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet. The sentencing took place on June 5, 2024.
23 year old Kody William Konechne was sentenced to 10 years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Konechne must register as a sex offender upon release from federal prison.
Konechne was indicted by a federal grand jury in March of 2023. He pleaded guilty on February 27, 2024.
The conviction stemmed from an incident on March 5, 2023, when Konechne used his cell phone to attempt to coerce a 14-year-old female he met on Facebook to engage in sexual activity. The girl, however, was an undercover agent. Konechne was arrested when he arrived at the location where he thought he would be meeting the girl.
Konechne was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
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.