Lakeville is a city of about 73,000 residents located in Dakota County, Minnesota. It is a suburb of Minneapolis–Saint Paul, approximately 20 miles south of both downtown Minneapolis and downtown St. Paul. In November 2015, law enforcement officers from several agencies conducted an undercover sex trafficking sting in Lakeville. The detail involved officers from the Lakeville Police Department, Minneapolis Police Department, and Department of Homeland Security. Three men were arrested and each charged with two counts of prostitution. In each case, officers posted personal ads on Backpage-dot-com or Craigslist in the personal or escort sections. Undercover officers then communicated with the suspects by text messages or email. If convicted, each suspect faced up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines on each charge.

In May 2016, an undercover child predator sting operation was conducted in Lakeville that resulted in the arrest of three men. The suspects had responded to an ad placed by police on a social media app. The undercover officer said the girl was 15-years-old, and two of the men who continued negotiations and arrived at the agreed upon location to buy sex were arrested. The third suspect allegedly responded to an ad of a 40-year-old father advertising the availability of his 13-year-old daughter. The man responded that he was okay with the girl being 13; he was later arrested when he arrived at the hotel and affirmed his intention to buy access to sexually abuse the child. The identities of the arrested men were included in news releases. All three face up to five years in prison and $10,000 in fines if convicted.