Man Is Jailed for Hiding HIV From Sex Partner

A college student was ordered Thursday to spend 120 days in jail for having sex with his girlfriend without revealing that he had the AIDS virus.

Nikko Briteramos, 19, a basketball player at Si Tanka-Huron University, was the first person convicted in South Dakota of intentionally exposing someone to HIV. Under a new state law, he could have faced up to 15 years in prison.

Defense lawyer James Koch said Briteramos had been in a monogamous relationship with the victim for several months. The presentence report included a letter from the woman urging the judge not to imprison Briteramos, the lawyer said.

Circuit Judge Tim Dallas Tucker gave Briteramos a five-year suspended prison sentence and ordered him to spend 120 days in jail. Briteramos also was ordered not to have unprotected intercourse without informing sex partners of his HIV and to perform 200 hours of community service.

Briteramos, of Chicago, apologized Thursday for his behavior.

“I believe I’m capable of much better, and I intend to become a person who helps others,” he said outside the courtroom.

Briteramos admitted having sex with the woman in his dorm room on April 13. The woman later tested negative for HIV.

Officials became alarmed in March when three people in Beadle County, S.D., including Briteramos, were diagnosed with HIV. A fourth person was later found to have the virus.

Eventually, 237 people were tested for the AIDS virus because some of those who had tested positive for HIV reported having several sex partners.

Briteramos’ plea bargain kept the woman, identified only by the initials M.T. in court documents, from having to testify, said Mike Moore, Beadle County state’s attorney. He said he thought the sentence was adequate.

Briteramos apparently was in love with the victim and worried she would leave him if he told her about his infection, the judge said.

“This appeared to arise out of a loving relationship,” Tucker said. However, he added, “you did expose her to HIV. For a person that you love, that’s not how you treat them.”

Tucker also ordered Briteramos to continue his education, adding that he would be freed from jail to attend classes and work.

Brad Smith, vice president of operations at the university, said university lawyers will now have to sort out Briteramos’ status.

“Given the ruling that education is required, I can’t imagine that we’d turn our backs on him,” Smith said.