South Dakota’s richest man who’s worth $3.4B had images of naked underage girls on an email account linked to him but was NEVER charged, newly unsealed affidavits show
- T. Denny Sanford, 87, was not charged after the state attorney general found no offenses against him after he was probed over child pornography allegations
- Documents reveal his email account, cell and internet service providers were searched for evidence in 2019, after his accounts were flagged by a technology firm
- The email account was believed to belong to Sanford after his driver’s license and a receipt from a hotel stay were sent from it
Investigators found images of nude underage girls were transmitted on an email account linked to billionaire T. Denny Sanford, new documents revealed, but they were unable to prove who sent them or where that person was at the time.
Sanford’s attorney said in a statement that the newly released documents contain only allegations and ‘various individuals had documented access to the electronic devices at issue, including signs of hacking.’
Sanford, South Dakota’s richest man, was not charged after the state attorney general’s office said its investigation into child pornography allegations found no prosecutable offenses within its jurisdiction.
Sanford’s attorneys fought to keep the affidavits sealed, but the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and ProPublica argued they should be made public and the state Supreme Court ruled this month that they would be unsealed.
Sanford has given billions to hospitals, universities and charities, and the Sanford Health system is named for him.
T. Denny Sanford (pictured) was not charged after the state attorney general’s office found no prosecutable offenses
The Sanford House in Sioux Falls has been described as a presidential library of sorts dedicated to Sanford’s achievements
He made his fortune as the founder of First Premier Bank in South Dakota, which is known for issuing high-interest credit cards to people with poor credit.
According to the affidavits, investigators searched Sanford’s email account and cell and internet service providers for evidence of possession of child pornography in 2019, after his accounts were flagged by a technology firm.
A special agent with the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation wrote that several images of nude underage girls were sent via email over three days in May and June 2019. The age of the youngest was estimated at 8 to 12 years.
The account was believed to belong to Sanford because things like his driver’s license and a receipt from a hotel stay that included his name were sent from it.
Beyond questions his attorney raised about whether Sanford was always in possession of the phone and email account.
The agent wrote in the affidavit that he was unable to determine the location of the individual who was accessing and using the email account on those days.
The agent noted that Sanford had homes in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Scottsdale, Arizona, and La Jolla, California.
According to the agent, he found that IP addresses in all of those areas were used to access the account.
Sanford made his fortune as the founder of First Premier Bank in South Dakota, which is known for issuing high-interest credit cards to people with poor credit
Additionally, the agent noted, a user could access computers in those locations remotely.
John Bake, an assistant professor of criminal justice studies at St Cloud State University said: ‘Not being able to pinpoint where the geolocation is may bring in the jurisdictional issues
The state attorney general’s office said in a statement that its investigative file was forwarded to the U.S. attorney’s office in South Dakota, which forwarded it to the Department of Justice. The file was also sent to authorities in Arizona and California.
A statement from Sanford’s attorney Stacey Hegge said the investigation found no prosecutable offense.
She said: ‘Mr. Sanford appreciates that after a thorough investigation the authorities concluded there exists no prosecutable offense here, because there is no prosecutable case or further action to be taken, the court records being released contain only allegations.
‘These preliminary allegations were provided to law enforcement prior to law enforcement’s exhaustive investigation and its realization that various individuals had documented access to the electronic devices at issue, including signs of hacking.
‘While some claim releasing affidavits that reiterate these allegations constitute transparency, releasing preliminary allegations made prior to completing the full investigation only misinforms people and obscures the investigation’s conclusions that no prosecutable offense occurred.’
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