United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced the sentencing of a Sioux Falls man, Jeffrey Michael Dicus, by U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier for the crime of transportation of child pornography. The sentence was handed down on December 16, 2024.

Dicus, aged 40, received a sentence of 12 years and seven months in federal prison. Following his incarceration, he will undergo five years of supervised release and is required to pay restitution amounting to $3,000 along with a special assessment fee of $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Additionally, upon his release from prison, Dicus must register as a sex offender.

The charges against Dicus were initiated by a federal grand jury indictment in June 2023. He entered a guilty plea on September 24, 2024.

The conviction is linked to activities between January 5, 2017, and February 8, 2023. During this period, Dicus used his Dropbox account to transport child pornography. He created the account in 2017 and engaged in trading images and videos with others via this platform. Authorities discovered over 5,000 videos and nearly 20,000 images depicting child pornography in his possession. These materials included content showing victims as young as toddlers involved in sexually explicit acts.

This case falls under Project Safe Childhood's initiative—a nationwide effort launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. This initiative involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders who exploit children while also identifying and rescuing victims.

The investigation was conducted by the Sioux Falls Police Department alongside Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb led the prosecution efforts.

Following sentencing procedures, Dicus was placed into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.