A Rapid City man has been sentenced to federal prison for the sexual exploitation of a minor. U.S. District Court Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence on December 5, 2024, as announced by United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell.

Charles Martinez-Olson, aged 33, received a sentence of 15 years in federal prison followed by five years of supervised release. He was ordered to pay $21,000 in restitution to his victims and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Additionally, he must forfeit his cellular phone and register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Martinez-Olson was indicted by a federal grand jury in October 2023 and pleaded guilty on September 23, 2024.

The offenses occurred between December 2020 and March 2023 when Martinez-Olson used Snapchat to entice two female minors into sexually explicit conduct for recording purposes. The girls were both under the age of 12 at the time. During these video chats on Snapchat, Martinez-Olson engaged in inappropriate behavior while directing and encouraging the minors to expose themselves. His account contained several videos documenting these actions along with additional images and videos depicting other children being sexually abused.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. It involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources to prosecute offenders and rescue victims. More information about this initiative can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The investigation was conducted by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force with Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuting the case.

Following sentencing, Martinez-Olson was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.