Rapid City Man Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

RAPID CITY - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced today that U.S. District Judge Jeffrey L. Viken has sentenced a Rapid City, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on February 3, 2023.

Zahkim Vela, 23, was sentenced to three years in federal prison, follow by five years of supervised release. Vela was ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100 and $8,000 in restitution. Vela will be required to register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.

Vela was indicted for Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography by a federal grand jury in December of 2021. He pleaded guilty on October 12, 2022.

Vela was federally indicted following a Cybertip from the National Center of Missing and Exploited Children regarding the download of child pornography using the application Kik Messenger. A search of Vela’s Kik Messenger account contained videos and images of child pornography including of infants and toddlers. The Internet Crimes Against Children Taskforce executed a search warrant on Vela’s home and located multiple devices. Vela admitted to receiving, saving, and distributing images of child pornography on Kik Messenger.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, the Rapid City Police Department, and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins prosecuted the case.

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