Matthew Richard Hainje, Transportation of Child Pornography, South Dakota 2023

Matthew Richard Hainje, 44, of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, has been charged with two counts of Transportation of Child Pornography, in a federal indictment that could land him up to 40 years in prison if convicted.

According to court documents, Hainje was indicted in March of 2023, and appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on April 11, 2023, where he pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 40 years in federal prison per count and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and up to $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on December 20, 2022, and again between December 22, 2022, and January 13, 2023, Hainje knowingly transported child pornography. It is alleged that Hainje uploaded graphic images and video files depicting one or more minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct into his Dropbox and Google accounts.

The charges are merely accusations and Hainje is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

The investigation is being conducted by the Sioux Falls Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting 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. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the 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.

Hainje was remanded to the custody of the State pending trial. A trial date has not been set.

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