SIOUX FALLS — A registered sex offender in South Dakota is facing new federal charges after authorities say he uploaded more child pornography to online storage websites while serving his sentence.
On Tuesday, April 11, 44-year-old Matthew Hainje pleaded not guilty in U.S. District Court to two counts of transportation of child pornography.
Federal court documents indicate that on three separate occasions in December 2022 and January 2023, Hainje uploaded graphic images and video files depicting one or more minors engaging in sexually explicit conduct into Google and Dropbox accounts associated with his email address.
At the time of the alleged conduct, Hainje was roughly four years and six months into a seven-year sentence imposed in 2018, when he was convicted of possession of child pornography in Codington County. That case involved a 7-year-old victim.
Publicly available court documents do not indicate how federal prosecutors believe Hainje may have had access to the internet, as the South Dakota Department of Corrections currently lists him as an inmate of the South Dakota State Penitentiary.
ADVERTISEMENT
Forfeiture documents submitted to the court, however, indicate that a cellphone was seized from Hainje.
Hainje will remain in the custody of the state until his trial, for which a date has not yet been set.
If convicted, Hainje could be sentenced to serve up to 40 years in federal prison and remain under supervision for life.
The Trust Project
