RAPID CITY – A local man has been sentenced to 5 years in federal prison for receiving child pornography. T Jay Joseph Sullivan, 29, of Rapid City, was sentenced by U.S. Chief District Judge Roberto A. Lange on May 16, 2024.
Sullivan was convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography, a charge he pleaded guilty to on February 14, 2024. In addition to the 5-year prison sentence, he was also ordered to serve 5 years of supervised release and pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.
The investigation into Sullivan’s activities began after a CyberTip was submitted to the authorities, alleging that child pornography was associated with his Facebook account. Detectives discovered that Sullivan had messaged a 13-year-old girl over Facebook, sent her images of his penis, and requested that she send him images of specific body parts. The girl, who was just 13, sent Sullivan images that constituted child pornography.
Sullivan’s activities didn’t stop there. He also used Facebook Messenger to request nude images from a different 13-year-old girl and sent her images of his penis. All of the messages and images were located on Sullivan’s Facebook account.
The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched by the Department of Justice in 2006 to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project brings together federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.
The case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case. Sullivan was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
T Jay Joseph Sullivan, 29, will now spend the next 5 years behind bars for his crimes. The question on everyone’s mind is: how many more victims will be exploited while they’re waiting for justice?
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Key Facts
- State: South Dakota
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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