Former Middle School Teacher Sentenced for Illegal Use of the Internet

United States Attorney Randolph J. Seiler announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Attempted Enticement of a Minor Using the Internet was sentenced on November 16, 2015, by Chief Judge Jeffrey L. Viken, U.S. District Court.

Andrew Hiipakka, age 28, was sentenced to 25 years of imprisonment, followed by life of supervised release, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. He is also ordered to forfeit an LG cell phone, two Toshiba laptop computers, one Cisco computer modem, one HP laptop computer, one Netger computer router, one Dell laptop computer, and one Apple iPhone.

Between November 2013 and August 2014, at Rapid City, Hiipakka knowingly received and possessed computer files containing images of child pornography.

During the execution of the search warrant, numerous items of evidence were located and seized, including several electronic storage devices and computers.  Investigators found thousands of images of child pornography, many of which depicted children under the age of 12 years, and images of violence and sadism. There were also many instances of the Defendant distributing these images to other individuals utilizing the Internet.

In addition, investigators located over one thousand internet “chats” during which the Defendant would receive and distributes images of child pornography.  During some of the chats, the Defendant would engage with persons he was told were under the age of 18, and he would convince them to expose their genitalia and perform sexual acts and then distribute those images to the Defendant.

This case also had international implications.  Information from this investigation was sent to Homeland Security Investigations’ London attaché office, resulting in an 18-year sentence for a man manufacturing child pornography in England, who had been corresponding with Andrew Hiipakka.

The investigation was conducted by the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce.  Other law enforcement partners involved in the case were the Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff's Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah Collins prosecuted the case.

Hiipakka was immediately turned over to the custody of the U.S. Marshal's Service.