Mobridge Man Sentenced to 9 Years for Child Porn Possession

A 36-year-old Mobridge man has been sentenced to 9 years and 1 month in federal prison after being convicted of Possession of Child Pornography.

Charles Evyn Russell, 36, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Charles B. Kornmann on May 20, 2024, for his crimes, which included possessing over 600 images of child pornography on various computer and electronic devices at his residence in Mobridge between July 31, 2021, and April 1, 2022.

Russell used the application KIK to obtain child pornography from other users. He was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service after his sentencing.

The conviction stems from an indictment by a federal grand jury in October 2022. Russell pleaded guilty on October 30, 2023. He will be required to register as a sex offender upon his release from federal prison and pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Russell’s 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 the FBI, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Mobridge Police Department, and the North Dakota Bureau of Criminal Investigation.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan N. Dilges prosecuted the case, which highlights the growing threat of child exploitation in our communities. The sentence handed down to Russell serves as a reminder that those who commit such heinous crimes will face severe consequences.

The Department of Justice’s Project Safe Childhood initiative has been instrumental in identifying and rescuing victims of child exploitation. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.