Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
A woman from Pierre, South Dakota, has been sentenced to seven years in federal prison for possession of child pornography. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell and took place on September 22, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Eric C. Schulte.
Mickenzie Tucker, age 23, will also serve five years of supervised release following her prison term. She was ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and restitution totaling $27,000.
Tucker was indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024 and pleaded guilty on June 27, 2025. According to court documents, between July 2023 and February 2024, Tucker received and distributed child pornography using instant messaging and social media platforms such as Discord and Wickr.
Law enforcement began investigating Tucker in September 2023 after receiving CyberTips from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children indicating that she used her Discord account to store child pornography. In February 2024, authorities executed a search warrant at her residence in Pierre and seized multiple electronic devices containing child pornography. Tucker will forfeit ownership of those devices to the United States.
"This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc."
The investigation involved several agencies: the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Pierre Police Department, and the FBI. Supervisory Assistant U.S. Attorney Kirk Albertson prosecuted the case.
Tucker is required to self-report to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service by October 6, 2025.
