United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota
08/26/2026 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/26/2026 08:54
Sturgis Man Sentenced to Over 6 Years in Federal Prison for Child Pornography Charges
RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange, U.S. District Court, has sentenced a Sturgis, South Dakota, man convicted of Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on August 17, 2026.
Carl Wahl, 55, was sentenced to six years and three months in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each charge. Wahl was also ordered to pay $30,285 in restitution and forfeiture was ordered.
Wahl was indicted for the charge by a federal grand jury in February 2025. He pleaded guilty on April 1, 2026.
Between May and August of 2023, the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received CyberTips for investigation. A search warrant for Wahl's residence and electronic devices was obtained. Several of Wahl's electronic devices, including his HP laptop and his two cellphones, were examined and all three devices contained visual depictions of child sexual abuse material that Wahl knowingly and intentionally viewed, possessed, and received using the internet.
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 (ICAC) Task Force, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff's Office. Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox and Assistant U.S. Attorney Connie Larson prosecuted the case.
Wahl was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.
United States Attorney's Office for the District of South Dakota published this content on August 26, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on August 26, 2026 at 14:54 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at [email protected]