Yankton Man Sentenced to 45 Years in Federal Prison For Production of Child Pornography

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. Chief Judge Roberto A. Lange has sentenced a Yankton, South Dakota man convicted of two counts of Production of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on July 6, 2026.

Robert Barbetti, age 34, was sentenced to 45 years in federal prison, 8 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $200. Once released from federal prison, Barbetti must register as a sex offender.

Barbetti was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2024. He pleaded guilty on April 6, 2026.

The conviction stemmed from an investigation into several cyber tips which led to the discovery that between 2018 and 2023, Barbetti had been using various online social media platforms, including SnapChat and Wink, to target minor children and coerce them into producing child sexual exploitation materials at Barbetti's direction and for his sexual gratification.

Barbetti's criminal conduct included coercing a juvenile male living in Texas to perform sexual acts on his own prepubescent brother, record the sexual acts, and send them to Barbetti over the internet. Barbetti's criminal conduct also included persuading a minor female living in Virginia to produce videos of herself naked from the waist down while committing indecent acts.

"This Administration has no higher priority than protecting innocent children," said U.S. Attorney Parsons.

This case was investigated by the FBI, DCI, and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.

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.

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