Fargo is an eastern North Dakota city of approximately 124,000 located in Cass County. Police report that commercial sex is a substantial problem in the area, especially at local hotels and motels. In recent years there have been more sex trafficking-related arrests in the area. The majority of commercial sex in the area has moved online—in 2017, it was estimated that about 72,000 sex ads were posted on Backpage.com in North Dakota alone. Another serious issue associated with prostitution in the area is child sex trafficking. For example, in 2017 a man was convicted on charges of conspiracy and sex trafficking of five victims, one of whom was a minor. In June 2022, a man was sentenced to more than 17 years in federal prison for attempted sex trafficking of a child (and distribution of child sexual abuse material)s after trying to solicit commercial sex acts from an undercover officer he thought was a parent looking for a “tutor” for a 10-year-old girl.

Sex buyers themselves have also been targets of robberies in Fargo. In 2019, Fargo police investigated a string of robberies involving men who responded to false online prostitution ads and were robbed upon their arrival to the predetermined location. One victim reported that after he arrived and paid a woman, a man appeared from a bedroom and held a stun gun to his neck as the woman removed his wallet and cell phone. Another man said that he was approached in the building by several armed men who stole his wallet, car keys, and cell phone. Multiple people were sentenced for their roles in these crimes, including a 19-year-old woman who also may have been involved in sex trafficking a minor.

Efforts to combat demand for commercial sex have been documented in the county. Since 2007, police have heavily focused on apprehending those driving the demand for commercial sex by targeting sex buyers in street-level and web-based reverse sting operations. The identities and images of arrested sex buyers are also often released. Prostitution and soliciting sex are Class B misdemeanors in North Dakota, punishable by up to 30 days in jail and a $1,000 fine. The cases often result in a guilty plea and deferred imposition of the sentence: if the offender does not violate probation, the charge is removed from his public record (although it remains as a sealed record, which can only be accessed by prosecutors and judges when needed).

In 2012, the Fargo Police Department (FPD) and Cass County Sheriff’s Office collaborated in a web-based reverse sting operation that resulted in the arrest of eight male sex buyers. During this operation, audio and video devices were placed in the room to record interactions between potential sex buyers and undercover officers. Police also publicized the identities and images of arrestees in order to raise awareness about efforts to reduce demand for commercial sex and deter individuals from purchasing sex in the future. One of the men arrested was the CEO of a local car wash. He pleaded guilty in Cass County District Court to a lesser charge of soliciting prostitution and was sentenced to one day in jail, a $450 fine, and the completion of a sex buyer education program.

The one-day, $500 program serves as an intermediate sentencing, diversion, and education option for offenders charged with purchasing prostitution and is offered quarterly in Bismarck, Fargo, Grand Forks, Minot, and Watford City. Incorporating feedback from human trafficking survivors, the course raises awareness on the importance of implementing demand-reduction efforts in order to combat prostitution and sex trafficking activity. Pre- and post-program tests are administered to assess changes in participant behaviors and/or perspectives. Program Curriculum includes the following:

• Cause of Human Trafficking: Connection between prostitution, trafficking, and criminal activity.
• Impacts of Human Trafficking on the Buyer: Legal ramifications, medical, and health risks of further criminal activity.
• Impacts of Human Trafficking on the Victim: Connection between their criminal activity and health, psychological, and social impacts on the victim.
• Impacts of Human Trafficking on the Community: Local, regional, and global aspect.
• Developing Healthy Relationships and Communities: Conditions of healthy relationships, services available to aid individuals, responsibilities as a member of a community to develop healthy personal attitudes regarding intimacy and sexuality.