Cody Holum of Doniphan was sentenced in February 2025 to 80 to 160 years in prison for convictions on four counts of first-degree assault and one count of human trafficking, according to the Nebraska Attorney General's website. (Carol Bryant, Central Nebraska Today)
GRAND ISLAND – Hall County Attorney Marty Klein said that Hall County’s successful prosecution of a human trafficking case was featured Jan. 13 at a Human Trafficking Awareness Month event.
Klein posted information about the situation on his Facebook page on Jan. 14.
Klein wrote that the investigation and conviction were made possible by work of the Hall County Sheriff’s Department with significant assistance from the Grand Island Police Department.
On the Nebraska Attorney General’s website, it contains information about a 2025 report for the Nebraska Human Trafficking Task Force.
According to the website, “In 2023, investigators with the Hall County Sheriff’s Department began an investigation into an alleged sextortion scheme occurring in Hall County.”
“The suspect was 17-year-old Cody Holum,” the website said. “Due to the egregious nature of the case, the judge denied transfer to juvenile court.”
Through multiple fake social media accounts, Holum posed as someone the victims trusted to obtain illicit photographs.
“He reached out to victims through multiple fake social media accounts to make them believe their photos were already being shared and threatened to distribute the photos unless the victims sent additional explicit content,” the website said.
The scheme happened numerous times to numerous victims, totaling 16 identified victims and at least six unidentified victims. Almost all of the victims were minors at the time of the interactions.
“Holum also demanded, through the fake social media account, that some of these victims perform sexual acts,” the website said.
In November 2024, Holum pleaded no contest to four counts of first-degree sexual assault and one count of human trafficking. In February 2025, Holum was sentenced to 80 to 160 years in prison for the convictions, the website said.
