Duluth Repeat Sex Offender Gets 22-Year Federal Prison Sentence

Aug 20

A Duluth man with a prior sex offense conviction has been sentenced to more than 22 years in federal prison for coercing and exploiting a child he met at a city park.

Federal prosecutors said 33-year-old Dillon Alvan Reyna was sentenced Wednesday in U.S. District Court to 264 months in prison followed by 15 years of supervised release after pleading guilty to coercion and enticement of a minor.

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A federal judge imposed the sentence, noting the aggravating factors of the case including Reyna’s use of force, repeated assaults, the victim’s vulnerability and the recording of the abuse.

Prosecutors said Reyna met the victim, who was under 16, in a Duluth park in October 2022. The child was already receiving care following prior sexual abuse, a fact Reyna knew when he began targeting her. Over several months, he manipulated her into sexual activity through gifts and rides conditioned on her cooperation, used physical force during sex and secretly filmed the abuse. Investigators said Reyna used social media to maintain communication with her.

The abuse came to light when law enforcement tracked the victim to Reyna’s apartment building. When confronted, Reyna lied to officers, claiming he did not know the victim, and instructed her to lie as well. From jail, he later directed an associate to delete his social media accounts in an attempt to hide evidence, but those efforts failed. The victim disclosed the abuse to investigators, leading to Reyna’s arrest and prosecution.

Court records show Reyna had a prior case in 2021 in St. Louis County, where he admitted guilt to third-degree criminal sexual conduct involving force or coercion. He received a stay of adjudication in that case but reoffended within a year.

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Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said Reyna’s actions underscored the danger repeat offenders pose to children:

“No parent should have to wonder if their child is safe at a park,” Thompson said. “Yet here, a repeat sex offender in his 30s targeted and picked up a vulnerable child from a Duluth park—a child who had already endured abuse. That is beyond appalling. We are seeing a disturbing rash of men in Minnesota attempting to buy or coerce sex from children. Let me be clear: it is predatory, it is criminal and it will be met with the full force of federal prosecution. We will not allow offenders to turn our parks and neighborhoods into hunting grounds for children.”

The judge said the seriousness of the crime was compounded by the recording of the assaults, which created lasting harm for the victim beyond the physical abuse. He referenced previous court findings on the lifelong mental and emotional impact of such crimes.

The case was investigated by the FBI, the Duluth Police Department and the Hermantown Police Department. Federal prosecutors credited the victim’s courage in disclosing the abuse, saying her decision ensured Reyna was taken off the streets and prevented further harm to children.

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