Mason Mensing, Attempted Production of Child Pornography, South Dakota 2024
A 23-year-old man from Elmore, Minnesota, has been sentenced to 19 years and five months in federal prison for attempting to produce child pornography in South Dakota.
Mason Mensing was sentenced on August 8, 2024, after pleading guilty to Attempted Production of Child Pornography. He will also serve five years of supervised release and pay a special assessment of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
Upon his release, Mensing must register as a sex offender.
The conviction stemmed from incidents between August 17, 2022, and August 19, 2022, when Mensing pretended to be a high schooler in Minnesota and attempted to persuade a minor female in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to send him nude images of herself.
The minor female refused and told her parents, who then went to the police. After an undercover agent took over the minor's Snapchat account, Mensing had several sexual conversations with the undercover agent.
An examination of Mensing's Snapchat account revealed that he had requested nude photos from multiple teenage girls in South Dakota and Minnesota.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Brookings Police Department, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuting the case.
Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →