Sioux Falls Man Sentenced to Over 9 Years in Federal Prison for Possession of Child Pornography

SIOUX FALLS - United States Attorney Ron Parsons announced today that U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier has sentenced a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, man convicted of Possession of Child Pornography. The sentencing took place on April 21, 2026.

Alexander Juan Cotton, age 28, was sentenced to nine years and two months in federal prison and five years of supervised release. He was further ordered to pay a special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund in the amount of $100. Once released from federal prison, Cotton will have to register as a sex offender.

Cotton was indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2025. He pleaded guilty on January 27, 2026.

The conviction stemmed from incidents between May 2, 2024, and June 13, 2024, when Cotton possessed over 300 images and videos of child pornography including of victims as young as 1-2 years old. Cotton obtained these files over the internet and through various online platforms including Telegram and Mega.

This case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth A. Ebert-Webb prosecuted the case.

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.

Cotton was immediately remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service.