A former gymnastics coach from Rapid City, Hayden Sengua, has pleaded guilty to receiving child sexual abuse material. Sengua, 25, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Daneta Wollmann on January 21, 2026.
The offense carries a mandatory minimum sentence of five years and up to 20 years in prison. Additional penalties include a fine of up to $250,000, supervised release for at least five years and possibly for life, a $100 special assessment to the Federal Crime Victims Fund, and possible restitution.
According to court documents, Sengua began downloading images and videos depicting the sexual abuse of children in 2018 and continued until January 2025. He stored these files on his cell phone, Google account, and an external hard drive.
Authorities reported that when Sengua was arrested last year, he possessed about 15,000 media files containing child sexual abuse imagery. Some files showed the abuse of infants and toddlers as well as the bondage and torture of minors. Investigators also found that Sengua used a virtual machine in an attempt to conceal his collection. At times he accessed illegal content using the IP address associated with a local Rapid City gymnastics center.
“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 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and 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.”
The South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation – Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force and the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather Knox is prosecuting the case.
A presentence investigation has been ordered. Sentencing is scheduled for May 4, 2026 at 1:00 p.m., with Sengua remaining in custody pending sentencing.
