JULY 2024:
A U.S. District Judge has determined what the punishment is for a Vale, South Dakota, woman convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The sentencing took place on July 25, 2024.
Leslie Marie White, 26, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised released, and order to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $29,424.20 in restitution. White will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
White was indicted for Production of Child Pornography by a Parent by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. She pleaded guilty on May 1, 2024.
On December 13, 2022, the FBI received a tip that a married couple was producing child pornography using their minor daughter. The pornographic images were located by an overseas partner on the social media platform “Wickr.” Through the investigation it was determined that White and her husband were trading images and videos containing child pornography involving their daughter to other individuals using Wickr.
On December 19, 2022, law enforcement seized 33 devices, from White’s home in Vale. A forensic examiner with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force reviewed the devices and determined that there was child pornography on 12 of the 33 devices, including 169 videos, 443 images, and eight live videos of child pornography.
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.
Timothy White was sentenced on February 5, 2024, to 45 years in federal prison.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI, and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.
FEBRUARY 2024:
Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Vale, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, and Receipt of Child Pornography.
Timothy Scott White, 43, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the Sexual Exploitation charge, 45 years in federal prison for the Attempted Enticement of a Minor charge, and 20 years in federal prison on the Receipt of Child Pornography charge, all to run concurrent. Additionally, White was sentenced to 10 years of supervised released, and order to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $28,000 in restitution. White will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
White was indicted for Production of Child Pornography by a Parent by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 3, 2023.
The convictions stem from White, producing child pornography of his minor daughter between January of 2020 and December of 2021. Evidence showed White also distributed hundreds of images of child pornography of other victims, as well as received thousands of images and videos.
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.
This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI, and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.
White was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
JANUARY 2023:
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a Federal Criminal Complaint and Arrest Warrants were returned on a Vale, SD, husband and wife charging them with Production of Child Pornography.
Timothy Scott White, age 42, and Leslie Marie White, age 24, were arrested on the Complaint last month (Dec. 19, 2022). They appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann and pleaded not guilty.
The Whites were arrested pursuant to an ongoing investigation involving online child pornography production and distribution. The charge relates to the Whites, being the parents of a minor, permitting or encouraging the minor to engage in or assist another person in engaging in sexually explicit conduct, for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct. The visual depictions of a minor engaged in sexually explicit conduct were then transmitted over the Internet. The conduct is alleged to have occurred between February 1, 2022, and December 19, 2022.
Timothy White was employed by the Spearfish Emergency Ambulance Service and the Piedmont Fire Department.
If convicted of the charge, the defendants each face a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years in federal prison, up to a maximum possible penalty of 30 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a lifetime term of supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.
The investigation is being conducted as part of a joint effort between the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama is prosecuting the case.
The Whites were remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has been set for February 28, 2023.
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