United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell has announced the sentencing of a Sioux Falls woman, Asha Graystone, for possession of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier sentenced Graystone to ten years in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. She is also required to pay $6,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. After her release, Graystone must register as a sex offender.
Graystone, aged 34, was indicted by a federal grand jury in May 2023 and pleaded guilty on October 2, 2024. Her conviction is related to incidents occurring between December 6, 2022, and January 10, 2023, during which she knowingly possessed digital files depicting minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Previously, she had been convicted at the state level for similar offenses in Minnehaha County, South Dakota in 2020 and received probation.
This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 to address child sexual exploitation and abuse. The program coordinates efforts among federal, state, and local agencies to prosecute offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation involved the Sioux Falls Police Department, the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.
Graystone has been permitted to self-surrender to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service by January 6, 2024.