T. Denny Sanford won't face child porn charges in South Dakota

The South Dakota Attorney General's Office won't pursue criminal charges against the state's leading philanthropist, who has been under investigation for child pornography.

In a notice Friday, submitted to the Second Circuit Court in Minnehaha County, Assistant Attorney General Brent Kempema said the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation has concluded an investigation of T. Denny Sanford and determined that "there are no prosecutable offenses within the jurisdiction of the state of South Dakota."

The conclusion of the DCI's investigation will not result in charges being filed in South Dakota. It remains unclear if similar investigations into Sanford in other jurisdictions remain open.

Sanford, a nationally-recognized philanthropist and the namesake of the Sanford Health System, last year was named as an implicated individual in a criminal investigation involving child pornography.

The Argus Leader and ProPublica had sought records related to a criminal investigation into Sanford, who until November 2021 had only been publicly identified in court documents as an “Implicated Individual.”

As recently as March, the Attorney General's Office had acknowledged the DCI's investigation was ongoing.

More: T. Denny Sanford named as 'implicated individual' in S.D. child pornography investigation

Former attorney general Marty Jackley, who's represented Sanford through the DCI investigation and litigation around the investigation involving the Argus Leader and ProPublica, said his client is thankful South Dakota law enforcers have resolved their work.

"Mr. Sanford appreciates the public acknowledgement by the South Dakota Attorney General's Office that the DCI has concluded its investigation and they have found no prosecutable crime," Jackley said in a statement to the Argus Leader.

After receiving the notice from Kempema, Judge James Power replied in an email that the court expected to release the underlying affidavits in support of the search warrants served sometime on Tuesday.

“Per our previous hearings, I would expect that the affidavits in support of search warrants to be unsealed at some point on Tuesday,” Power said.

Minutes later, attorney Stacey Hegge, one of the Sanford’s representatives, made a motion to delay the unsealing of those documents.

This story is developing. Check back for more.

This article originally appeared on Sioux Falls Argus Leader: T. Denny Sanford won't face child pornography charges in South Dakota