South Dakota man indicted on child pornography charges resulting from HSI joint investigation

RAPID CITY, S.D. – A Rapid City man was indicted by a federal grand jury for receiving and possessing child pornography.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City (South Dakota) Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s office are jointly investigating the case.

Nathan David Hankins, 28, was indicted Dec. 17, 2019. Due to delays caused by the pandemic he finally appeared in federal court Oct. 1 to respond to the charge and plead not guilty.

The indictment alleges Hankins was receiving and possessed child pornography between August 2019 and December 2019, while in Rapid City.

The charges against Hankins are merely accusations and he is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of five up to 20 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, as well as potential lifetime supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

Hankins was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins is prosecuting the case.

HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move.

Learn more about HSI’s child exploitation mission.