RAPID CITY, S.D. – United States Attorney Alison J. Ramsdell announced that a federal grand jury has indicted a Rapid City, South Dakota, man for multiple charges involving Receipt of Child Pornography and Possession of Child Pornography.
A federal grand jury indicted Hayden Sengua, 25, on June 26, 2025. He was arraigned before Magistrate Judge Daneta L. Wollmann today and pleaded not guilty to the Indictment.
Hayden Sengua, 25, is accused of having images and videos of children on Google accounts, a cell phone and external hard drives. An investigator and forensic examiner with the Internet Crimes Against Children task force said in Friday’s hearing that Sengua had more than 15,000 images and videos.
According to a Justice Department release, Sengua’s collection depicted children as young as infants and toddlers being sexually abused, tortured, and engaging in sex acts with animals. He also reportedly had computer-generated child pornography in addition to erotic visual depictions of minors.
Sengua is said to have about 85 images of girls in gymnastics clothing that were confirmed to have been taken at Just Jymnastics in Rapid City where Sengua was employed until May 2024. However, it was noted that the gymnastics-related photos were not explicit or illegal.
The DOJ release stated “To date, the investigation indicates these photos (of children in the Rapid City area whom he may have coached) do not rise to the level of child pornographic images and are not the subject of criminal charges. If members of the community have any information about Sengua that may be relevant to the criminal investigation, however, they are urged to contact the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation at (605) 394-2298.”
Sengua worked at Just Jymnastics in Rapid City until May 2024, when his employment was terminated. He previously worked as a gymnastics coach in Oregon.
The investigation is being conducted by the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation. Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox is prosecuting the case.
Following a detention hearing on June 27, 2025, Sengua was remanded to the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service. A trial date has been scheduled for September 2, 2025.
The penalty upon conviction for each count of receiving child pornography is a mandatory minimum term of five years up to 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine, a mandatory minimum of five years up to life of supervised release, and $100 to the Federal Crime Victims Fund for each count of conviction. Restitution may also be ordered. Sengua faces up to 20 years in custody and/or a $250,000 fine for possessing child pornography.
