Before U.S. District Judge Roberto Lange, Raleigh, 34, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to attempted trafficking of a minor girl for commercial sex. The maximum sentence for the charge is 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine and three years of supervised probation after any prison sentence.

As the Capital Journal earlier reported, Raleigh struck a plea deal with federal prosecutors this spring, who dropped more serious charges that carried a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence.

He’s scheduled to be sentenced by Lange on Sept. 19 in Pierre. His federal public defender is Jana Miner. Carrie Sanderson and Kirk Albertson of the U.S. attorney’s office in Pierre are prosecuting Raleigh. Sanderson asked that Raleigh be jailed pending his sentencing but Lange granted Miner’s request he continue to remain released under bond.

Raleigh also faces charges in state court in Pierre related to the same Oct. 16 arrest.

Hughes County State’s Attorney Wendy Kloeppner charged him with two counts of soliciting a minor for sex, each a Class 4 felony with a maximum sentence of 10 years. She also charged him with a misdemeanor charge of hiring someone for sexual activity, the typical prostitution case.

At the request of Raleigh’s local court appointed attorney Tara Adamski, the state case has been postponed pending the federal case’s development.

Raleigh’s arraignment in state court is slated for Aug. 2.

As part of his guilty plea in federal court, Raleigh admitted to a detailed account of what led to his arrest.

He was caught in a sting last fall while he was a Southern Baptist pastor in Miller and working at the ranch of one of the families in his congregation. He and his wife have several young children. He had served a Baptist church in Montana before coming to Miller three years ago.

Southern Baptist officials in South Dakota told the Capital Journal that in the aftermath of his arrest, they provided help to the congregation and Raleigh and his family who remained living in the parsonage in Miller. He has spent months at a halfway house in Sioux Falls under terms of his bonded release from jail in Pierre and apparently still is there.

He was caught in a web woven locally by the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force of more than 3,000 federal, state and local law officers nationwide. The task force “focuses on investigative responses to offenders who use the internet, online communication systems, or computer technology to sexually exploit children,” according to the factual basis statement filed in court in Raleigh’s case which he admitted is factual.

In October, the task force went undercover in the Pierre area.

Two special agents from the state Division of Criminal Investigation in the attorney general’s office and a Pierre police officer placed ads on craigslist.org., using the online lingo “offering females for prostitution.”

The ad from a state agent using a Bismarck address stated: “In Pierre for the weekend with a very special little friend. Age is only a number so don’t miss out on the opportunity to try something new and different.”

At 7:17 p.m., Oct. 16, Raleigh responded to “Mikey Smith,” at the email address used by the one of the state agents.

“I’ll be available all weekend. I’m attractive, clean, good build, 30 years old,”Raleigh said. “Looking for some hot fun. If interested I can send my number.”

He included a photo of himself.

The two men exchanged  a series of internet messages, with typical spelling,  over the half hour.

From “Mikey Smith”: “Hey bro, I got a gurl that is younger but good to go. We r in Pierre SD for the weekend. Let me know if u r willing to come to Pierre.”

Raleigh: “I’ll be there, have a pic?”

The Pierre officer also posted a Craigslist ad of a woman “looking for sum fun,” with men in Pierre.

Raleigh at 7:15 p.m. had replied to that ad with the same response he gave “Mikey Smith” minutes later.

The Pierre officer, using the online handle “Looking 4 Fun, emailed Raleigh at 7:21: “I’ve got a 15 year old gtg . . . anything goes/nothing rough.”

Raleigh at 7:29 p.m.: “So, do you have a picture of her, I‘ll be in town tomorrow.”

At 7:38 p.m., the officer sent a photo of an undercover DCI agent made up to look like a young teen girl.

Raleigh, via email at 7:45 p.m.: “I’m game, what time? What about tonight?”

Meanwhile, another DCI agent had posted a third craigslist ad, using a Sioux Falls-based address from a “Michael Smith,” about a woman looking to hook up with men in Pierre that weekend.

Raleigh, at 7:09 p.m. emailed the same answer to “Michael Smith”  as he had to the other two ads.

 “Michael Smith,” at 7:23 p.m.: “we here in pierre and she good to go. She 15 and experienced. Prices vary dependin on what u want.”

Raleigh at 7:30 p.m.: “Want an hour of all I can get. Do you have a pic?”

The three agents now realized they all were working on the same guy, so  two dropped out and one of the state DCI agents continued with Raleigh on email. They negotiated and Raleigh wondered if he was talking to a cop.

“Is this some sting are you with law enforcement of any kind? . . .Send me a pic with two thumbs up and I’ll trust you,” Raleigh wrote. “Just looking for fun and don’t want to get busted. Just making sure this is legit. . .  Send me pic thumbs up and I can be there in 45 mins”

The agent quoted a $400 price and sent a photo.

Raleigh, at 8:08 p.m.: “Looks good, hour good. Can you meet me in blunt? About 25 mins east of Pierre.”

Raleigh stopped in Highmore and withdrew $400 from an ATM.

At 8:18 p.m., he emailed “Michael Smith:”  “ I got the cash.”

“Smith,” came back with more negotiating with graphic details of options, and asking for information about Blunt.

Raleigh, at 8:24 p.m.: “Blunt is on 14 straight outta Pierre, u can wait outside truck give you 400 cash.”

Smith at 8:28 p.m.: “she only 15 bro. cant have her pregnant or busted up at all.”

Raleigh at 8:31 p.m.: “There’s a gas station, I’m not like that. Wouldn’t hurt her. What time can you be there?”

Smith at 8:35 p.m.: “How about 930? Where the gas station at? don’t see any on map”

Raleigh at 8:41 p.m.: “It’s a small town it’s on right when you come into town. Can you make 9:15, I probably don’t have an hour, so can do do 300 for 30-40 mins? What will you be driving?”

They exchanged more information.

At 9:28 p.m., Raleigh arrived in Blunt in a silver Ford F-250 pickup truck pulling a horse trailer and parked at the convenience store and walked across the parking lot.

A fourth DCI agent posing as “Michael Smith,” the pimp who had been negotiating online with Raleigh, met Raleigh.

The undercover agent asked Raleigh if he was looking for him.

“I think so,” Raleigh said and they shook hands.

A female DCI agent was in the black Nissan “Smith” had been driving, “somewhat visible to” Raleigh, “portraying the role of “Liz,” the 15-year-old from the advertisement.”

The agent asked Raleigh if he “planned to do it in the truck, to which (Raleigh) replied, ‘Yeah.’”

Raleigh said he had the money in his truck and the agent said he would get Liz out of the car.

As Raleigh approached his truck to get the money, “the takedown signal,” was given and he was arrested.

They found $300 in cash on him and took his cell phone. Another $100 in cash was found in his wallet. They took Raleigh to Pierre and questioned him.

Raleigh said he had been moving horses and had his bow with him so he had been hunting from his stand that day and “was bored and got on craigslist.”

He admitted his email exchanges with the sting agents “for the purpose of arranging a sexual encounter with a 15-year-old girl,” and showed up at the Blunt convenience store “for the purpose of having sex with the girl.”

He was arrested that night and, from jail within a day or two, resigned from his congregation in Miller, Baptist leaders told the Capital Journal.

Raleigh remained in jail in Pierre for more than a month before being granted a release by federal authorities to live in a Sioux Falls halfway house where he apparently remains, according to court documents.

There is no indication of whether attorneys from both sides have discussed what sentence Raleigh might receive.

The plea agreement mentions he is eligible for a decrease of three levels on his sentence for cooperating and pleading guilty in a timely fashion, but also that both sides have agreed he gets any sentence enhanced two levels “for abuse of position of trust.”