RAPID CITY, S.D. – A western South Dakota man was sentenced Oct. 25 to five years in prison following his conviction for receiving child pornography.
This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Enforcement’s (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, FBI, Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office.
Upon his release from prison, Nikolas John Larson, 41, will also serve five years of supervised release.
Larson was arrested and federally indicted following a failed pre-employment polygraph examination. After being informed of the failed polygraph, Larson admitted to visiting the Dark Web to look for and intentionally view images of child pornography from 2009 to 2019. A forensic examination of Larson’s devices revealed over 10,000 images of child pornography and 900 child pornography videos.
Larson was also ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100 and $51,000 in restitution. He must also register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
Following sentencing, Larson was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Sazama prosecuted the case.
HSI is a directorate of ICE and the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move.
Learn more about HSI’s child exploitation mission here.