A federal judge says a North Dakota man
convicted of operating a drug and prostitution ring on the Fort
Berthold Indian Reservation must serve 45 years in prison.
A jury in April found Dustin Morsette, of New Town, guilty on
several charges, including sex trafficking, sexual abuse, drug
trafficking and witness tampering.
Morsette faced a maximum sentence of life in prison without
parole. Judge Daniel Hovland says Morsette deserved a stiff
sentence, but says a life sentence ``is harsh for a 23-year-old man
with no criminal history, a childhood spent living in 21 different
foster homes, and a life plagued with dysfunction and chaos.''
U.S. attorneys Brendan Johnson of South Dakota and Timothy
Purdon of North Dakota say the two states are seeing an increased
number of human trafficking cases.
