Brookings Man Charged with Production of Child Pornography and Cyberstalking

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Brookings, South Dakota, man for Production of Child Pornography and Cyberstalking.

Jaykob Elijah Varner, age 24, was indicted in October of 2024. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Veronica L. Duffy on October 8, 2024, and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.

The Indictment alleges that between August 1, 2023, and April 13, 2024, Varner knowingly induced, enticed, and coerced a minor female to create images and videos of herself engaged in sexually explicit conduct, then send those images and videos to Varner. The Indictment further alleges that Varner used online applications to harass, intimidate, and keep the minor female under surveillance in order to harass and intimidate her into making such images and videos which caused her substantial emotional distress.

If convicted, Varner faces a possible maximum penalty of 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 charges are merely accusations and Varner 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 being conducted by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb is prosecuting the case.

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