Vale Woman Sentenced to 30 Years in Federal Prison

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Vale, South Dakota, woman convicted of Sexual Exploitation of a Minor. The sentencing took place on July 25, 2024.

Leslie Marie White, 26, was sentenced to 30 years in federal prison, followed by 10 years of supervised released, and order to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund and $29,424.20 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. She pleaded guilty on May 1, 2024.

On December 13, 2022, the FBI received a tip that a married couple was producing child pornography using their minor daughter. The pornographic images were located by an overseas partner on the social media platform "Wickr." Through the investigation it was determined that White and her husband were trading images and videos containing child pornography involving their daughter to other individuals using Wickr.

On December 19, 2022, law enforcement seized 33 devices, from White's home in Vale. A forensic examiner with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force reviewed the devices and determined that there was child pornography on 12 of the 33 devices, including 169 videos, 443 images, and eight live videos of child pornography.

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.

Timothy White was sentenced on February 5, 2024, to 45 years in federal prison.

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 Megan Poppen prosecuted the case.

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