Philanthropists, Law Enforcement, and Child Pornography in South Dakota

T. Dennis Sanford, South Dakota's wealthiest man and number one employer, is under investigation for child pornography.

South Dakota Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg battles impeachment after the fatal accident which resulted in the vehicular manslaughter of Joe Boever. Much of the controversy stems from whether or not the Attorney General knowingly fled the scene of the crime. Ravnsborg claims to have thought his vehicle hit a deer, until he later returned to the crime scene the following day to discover Boever's body. Boever's glasses were found inside of Ravnsborg's vehicle, his face reportedly smashed through the windshield.

Gov. Kristi Noem became one of Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg's most outspoken political opponents, followed closely by Rep. Tim Goodwin (R-D30) who baahs sheepishly along, answering to the Governor and Senator Lee Schoenbeck. In fact, Tim Goodwin was the first Republican legislator to publicly call for Ravnsborg's resignation. AG Jason Ravnsborg happens to be probing into whether Gov. Noem violated state law with her frequent use of state airplanes for politicking at out-of-state cocktail parties. The AG is also probing into the "intimidating" meeting in which a state employee was summoned to the Governor's Mansion to meet with the Governor and her daughter Kassidy Peters.

​Kristi Noem's big government spending habits have been criticized by her challengers in the governor's race, Republican Steve Haugaard and Democrat Jamie Smith. When South Dakota's part-time Governor isn't jet-setting around the country, she can be found calling into Fox News at the $130k television studio or lounging around the sauna in the refurbished Governor's Mansion- her taxpayer-funded spending spree cashing in at $68k.

But just when you thought South Dakota politics couldn't get any weirder; Attorney General Ravnsborg also happens to be probing into healthcare titan and billionaire T. Dennis Sanford, the state's wealthiest man and number one employer. Dennis Sanford, a predatory finance lender turned children's philanthropist, is ​currently under investigation for child pornography. Kristi Noem owes her political career to donor Denny Sanford. Earlier this month, Gov. Noem endorsed T. Dennis Sanford's lawyer, former Attorney General Marty Jackley in his bid for AG Jason Ravnsborg's seat. Noem and Jackley's truce comes after a 2018 Republican primary race for the governorship, in which Marty Jackley emphasized his role in protecting children as Attorney General. The news of their mutual-endorsement broke as three South Dakota police officers were arrested or sentenced on charges of solicitation or the manufacture and distribution of child pornography.