Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
Alison J. Ramsdell U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the District of South Dakota
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that Matthew Charles Ratliff, a 51-year-old man from Black Hawk, South Dakota, has been sentenced to federal prison for receipt of child pornography. U.S. District Judge Karen E. Schreier handed down the sentence on July 11, 2025.
Ratliff received a five-year and three-month prison term followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $20,000 in restitution to online victims and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Additionally, he must register as a sex offender under the Sex Offender Registration and Notification Act.
In May 2023, Ratliff was indicted by a federal grand jury for receipt and possession of child pornography. He pleaded guilty on April 7, 2025.
The case originated from a Cybertip reporting that Ratliff was downloading and viewing images of young children being sexually abused. Searches revealed approximately 280 images of child sexual abuse material on his devices. At sentencing, Judge Schreier emphasized how each viewing re-victimizes the children involved. Some victims have been identified, leading to the restitution order.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, an initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. The project involves collaboration among federal, state, and local resources to apprehend offenders and rescue victims.
The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations along with several local law enforcement agencies including the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and Rapid City Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorney Anna Lindrooth prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Ratliff was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
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