Appeals court: Sex crime conviction stands in Sturgis sting

STURGIS, S.D. (AP) - The 8th Circuit Court of Appeals has ruled a sex crime conviction doesn’t require that there’s an actual victim.

The court this week upheld the conviction of a man stemming from a sting operation during the 2017 Sturgis motorcycle rally.

Carlocito Slim argued he was just looking for a massage when he responded to an ad on the Backpage website under the headline “Women Seeking Men.” Slim was actually responding to an ad that was a sting setup and unknowingly texted a special agent with South Dakota’s Division of Criminal Investigation.

Slim argued that since there was no victim, he was wrongly convicted. The appeals court disagrees.