Rapid City Man Indicted for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor

 Acting United States Attorney Dennis R. Holmes announced that a Rapid City, South Dakota, man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for Sexual Exploitation of a Minor, Receipt of Child Pornography, and Possession of Child Pornography.

Tell Logan Cadotte, age 30, was indicted on July 22, 2021.  He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on August 11, 2021, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The maximum penalty upon conviction is a mandatory minimum of 15 up to 30 years in federal prison and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of 5 years up to lifetime supervised release, and a $100 assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund.  Restitution may also be ordered.

The charges relate to Cadotte sexually exploiting an underage female between January 2019 and January 2021, by producing images of child pornography. He remained in possession of the images thereafter.  A search of Cadotte’s devices found that he knowingly received and possessed images depicting the minor involved in the sexually explicit conduct.  The charges are merely an accusation and Cadotte is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty. 

The investigation is being conducted by the Rapid City Police Department and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarah B. Collins is prosecuting the case.   

Cadotte was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service pending trial.  A trial date has been set for October 19, 2021.