Beresford Man Sentenced for Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography

Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Beresford, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt and Distribution of Child Pornography was sentenced on October 18, 2021, by U.S. District Judge Lawrence P. Piersol.

Anthony James Berst, age 34, was sentenced to 66 months in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.

Berst was indicted by a federal grand jury on March 2, 2021.  He pled guilty on August 2, 2021.

The conviction stemmed from incidents between September 7, 2020, and January 6, 2021, when Berst used his Snapchat account to upload files containing child pornography.  Berst also downloaded files that contained child pornography from the internet on to his cell phone and laptop. 

Berst knowingly received digital files that depicted child pornography that had been mailed, shipped, and transported in or affecting interstate or foreign commerce by any means, including by computer.

This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the Beresford Police Department.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper prosecuted the case.

Berst was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.