Mitchell Man Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Producing Child Pornography

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Mitchell, South Dakota, man convicted of Production of Child Pornography.  The sentencing took place on January 5, 2026.

Mark Stephen Gullings, age 44, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, 5 years of supervised release, and a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100.  Once released from federal prison, Gullings must register as a sex offender.

Gullings was indicted by a federal grand jury in February 2025.  He pleaded guilty on October 8, 2025.

The conviction stemmed from Gullings using his cell phone in October 2022 to take surreptitious photos of a minor female living in his home and under his care while she was in the bathroom. Gullings would put his phone under the bathroom door or over the shower curtain to take pictures of the juvenile’s genital area for his own sexual gratification.

This case was investigated by the Brandon Police Department, Homeland Security Investigations, and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. 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.

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