Sioux Falls Man Charged with Multiple Counts 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 six counts of Attempted Production of Child Pornography, three counts of Production of Child Pornography, and seven counts of Transfer of Obscene Materials to Minors.

Justin Preuschl, age 27, was indicted in June of 2024. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on June 7, 2024, 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 $1,600 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Restitution may also be ordered.

The Indictment alleges that starting in October of 2023 and continuing in 2024, Preuschl engaged in sexually explicit communications with multiple juvenile female victims. Preuschl pretended to be a 15-year-old male and pressured the victims into sending him sexually explicit materials. Preuschl also sent pictures of male genitals to the victims. He was employed as a teacher at Whittier Middle School in Sioux Falls at the time of many of the charged offenses.

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

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.

The investigation is ongoing. If you or someone you know has had contact with the Snapchat accounts cpiper9696, justinpreuschl1, swilliams69420, swilliams420696, justin99696, or justin9996, or cambam7276 on TikTok, call the HSI Tipline at 1-877-4-HSI-TIP. The public can also contact HSINorthland@hsi.dhs.gov.

The investigation is being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations, Sioux Falls Police Department, South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and the North Liberty Iowa Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey C. Clapper is prosecuting the case.   

Preuschl was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial. A trial date has not been set.