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
A Rapid City man has been sentenced to more than ten years in federal prison for attempting to entice a minor using the internet. U.S. District Judge Camela C. Theeler handed down the sentence to Matthew Zook, 46, on September 29, 2025.
Zook received a sentence of ten years and one month in federal prison, followed by five years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay $95 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund. Forfeiture was also included as part of his sentence.
The charge stemmed from an incident in April 2024 when Zook used Snapchat to communicate with a 14-year-old girl. During their conversations, he discussed sexual acts and expressed his intention to have sex with her, citing personal issues as reasons for his actions. On April 20, 2024, after midnight, Zook drove to the girl's house and parked in her driveway. The minor had informed one of her parents about the communication, leading them to alert law enforcement. Zook was arrested at the scene.
Zook pleaded guilty on July 15, 2025, after being indicted by a federal grand jury in June 2024. He has a prior conviction from 2012 for Fourth Degree Rape of a minor.
United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell stated: "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."
The investigation involved the Rapid City Police Department, Pennington County Sheriff’s Office, and the South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox prosecuted the case.
Following sentencing, Zook was remanded into custody by the U.S. Marshals Service.
For more information about Project Safe Childhood: https://www.justice.gov/psc
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