Man, woman to face federal grand jury charges for alleged sex trafficking, child pornography in Winner
Aug. 10—WINNER, S.D. — A man and a woman have been charged by a federal grand jury for the alleged sex trafficking of a minor and production of child pornography in Winner.
Richard Alan Kucera, 65, and Ivy Rose Heron, 36, were both indicted on Aug. 1 by a United States district court grand jury for alleged crimes occurring between July 1, 2020, and July 31, 2021.
Both face four federal counts. Each faces two charges for sex trafficking, which in this case carry a sentence ranging from 10 years to life, and an optional $250,000 fine. Both additionally face two counts for the production of child pornography, that come with a prison sentence lasting between 15 to 30 years, and an optional $250,000 fine.
Court documents indicate that Kucera has been a resident of Winner for the last 24 years and Heron for the last nine.
An indictment by a grand jury means that a selected group of 16 to 23 citizens believed there was enough evidence to level a formal accusation of a crime at the alleged defendant.
Neither is listed on federal or state sex offender lists. Any federal charge of a range of sex offenses — which indicate alleged crimes of a higher magnitude than state charges — would require registration on the national sex offender registry.
If convicted, both must also be ordered to pay restitution, which means that "a convicted offender may be ordered to reimburse victims for financial losses incurred due to the offender's crime," according to the United States Department of Justice's website.
The prosecution will be handled by U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Clapper.
