JANUARY 2024:
U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Madison, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography.
Treton Anderson, age 26, was sentenced to 15 years and six months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Anderson will also need to register as a sex offender upon his release.
Anderson was indicted by a federal grand jury in August of 2022. He pleaded guilty on October 2, 2023.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between December 18, 2021, and June 29, 2022, when Anderson, using his cellular phone to access the internet, and using his Kik account, distributed digital files containing child pornography.
This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, and the Madison Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Anderson was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
AUGUST 2022:
A federal grand jury has determined there is enough evidence to charge a Madison man with Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography.
Treton Anderson, age 24, pled not guilty to the Indictment.
The Indictment alleges that between on or about December 18, 2021, and June 29, 2022, Anderson knowingly received and distributed, and attempted to receive and distribute child pornography that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer.
The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 40 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigation, the Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.
Anderson was released on bond pending trial. A trial date has not been set.
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