U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell | U.S. Department of Justice
A woman from Summerset, South Dakota, has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for multiple offenses related to the sexual exploitation of minors across several states. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence to Emily Nicole Yeary on January 3, 2025.
Yeary, aged 26, was convicted of seven federal criminal offenses including enticement to travel for illegal sexual activity and possession of child pornography. Following her prison term, she will undergo five years of supervised release and is required to pay $700 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund along with $3,000 in restitution to one victim. Another victim's family may seek restitution later.
U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell commented on the case stating, "This is among the most heinous cases of child exploitation our office has prosecuted." She commended law enforcement agencies for their coordinated efforts that exposed Yeary’s criminal activities.
South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley praised the collaboration between state and local law enforcement in addressing this case: “I commend the State Trooper, the Division of Criminal Investigation, and South Dakota law enforcement for working with law enforcement across state lines."
In July 2022, a federal grand jury charged Yeary with various crimes involving minors from Mississippi, Kentucky, Florida, and Missouri. The investigation revealed that Yeary used online platforms like TikTok under a false identity to access minor females over three years.
Yeary was arrested by South Dakota Highway Patrol in June 2022 after being stopped for speeding with a missing 14-year-old girl from Mississippi in her vehicle. After bonding out of jail days later, she returned to Mississippi where she took the child again before traveling to Kansas.
The case falls under Project Safe Childhood initiative by the Department of Justice aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse nationwide since May 2006.
The investigation involved numerous agencies including South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation and Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force among others. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case against Yeary who was remanded into custody immediately following sentencing.
