Sioux Falls Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man for two counts of Production of Child Pornography.

Marc Jones, age 29, was indicted in May of 2023. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on June 1, 2023, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is up to 30 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, life of supervised release, and up to $200 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that on March 23, 2023, Jones knowingly employed, used persuaded, induced, enticed, and coerced two minor females to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing visual depictions of such conduct and knowing that such visual depictions would be transported in interstate or foreign commerce.

The charges are merely accusations and Jones is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations and the Sioux Falls Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting 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.

Jones was remanded to the custody of the State pending trial.  A trial date has not been set.