Vale Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Federal Prison

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Vale, South Dakota, man convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet, and Receipt of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on February 5, 2024.

Timothy Scott White, 43, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison for the Sexual Exploitation charge, 45 years in federal prison for the Attempted Enticement of a Minor charge, and 20 years in federal prison on the Receipt of Child Pornography charge, all to run concurrent. Additionally, White was sentenced to 10 years of supervised released, and order to pay a $300 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $28,000 in restitution. White will also be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

White was indicted for Production of Child Pornography by a Parent by a federal grand jury in January of 2023. He pleaded guilty on November 3, 2023.

The convictions stem from White producing child pornography of his minor daughter between January of 2020 and December of 2021. Evidence showed White also distributed hundreds of images of child pornography of other victims, as well as received thousands of images and videos.  

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.

This case was investigated by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the FBI, and the Butte County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

White was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.