Rapid City Man Found Guilty of Receipt and Possession of Child Pornography

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a jury has convicted Matthew Shawn Buchko, age 40, of Rapid City, South Dakota, of Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography following a three-day jury trial in federal district court in Rapid City. The verdict was returned on January 20, 2023.

The charges carry a mandatory minimum penalty of five years up to of 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, five years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count. Restitution may also be ordered. 

Buchko was indicted by a federal grand jury in February of 2021. 

Buchko was federally indicted following a Cybertip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children in relation to an upload of child pornography using the application Discord. The Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce executed a search warrant on Buchko’s home and located multiple devices. A forensic examination of those devices found hundreds of images and videos of child pornography, as well as images and videos of child erotica and computer-generated child pornography.

This case was investigated by the Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah B. Collins and Heather Sazama prosecuted the case.

A presentence investigation was ordered and a sentencing date has been set for April 24, 2023. The defendant was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.