Attorney General Jackley Warns Public About Scam Involving Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force
PIERRE, S.D. — South Dakota Attorney General Marty Jackley warns the public about a text scam involving the State’s Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (ICAC).
“These text messages are designed to create fear and confusion – don’t fall for it,” said Attorney General Jackley. “Legitimate law enforcement agencies will never demand payment or threaten arrest.”
Attorney General Jackley said ICAC was notified after an adult male from Connecticut had communicated via text message with someone that they met on a dating site. The following day, the Connecticut resident received a call from a male subject claiming to be “Sgt. Walker” with the South Dakota ICAC Task Force. The scammer told the Connecticut resident that the person he had been communicating with via text message was a minor. The resident was asked to pay $1,000.
The Connecticut resident did not send any money and instead contacted the South Dakota ICAC Task Force and the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) to confirm the validity of the phone call. The ICAC Task Force does not have any members named “Sgt. Walker.”
Attorney General Jackley said his office also has received complaints from individuals who have received text messages claiming they were photographed watching porn sites and demanding money. He said that is also a scam.
People who have been a victim of any type of scam should contact the Attorney General’s Office’s Consumer Protection Division at 1-800-300-1986 or at https://consumer.sd.gov/.
South Dakota’s former Governor Kristi Noem is featured in a promotional image for Comedy Central’s South Park tonight, and according to the Hill, her agency is using promotional materials from the episode to help recruit personnel to join ICE:
The DHS post came shortly after “South Park” released a teaser for its next episode, featuring an animation of a woman closely resembling DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. That character is depicted pointing a gun in the air, wearing a “POLICE ICE” vest and posing in front of photographers.
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“We want to thank South Park for drawing attention to ICE law enforcement recruitment,” a DHS spokesperson said in the statement.
“We are calling on patriotic Americans to help us remove murderers, gang members, pedophiles, and other violent criminals from our country. Benefits available to new ICE recruits include an up to $50,000 signing bonus, student loan forgiveness, and retirement benefits. Apply today at join.ice.gov,” the spokesperson continued.
Strong Safe & Free PAC Launches to Support Gov. Larry Rhoden
Rapid City, S.D. – Today, Strong Safe & Free PAC announced its launch to support Governor Larry Rhoden’s leadership as the 34th Governor of South Dakota.
South Dakota State Representative and Appropriations Chairman Mike Derby (R-Pennington County) serves as the PAC’s chairman, and South Dakota State Senator Arch Beal (R-Minnehaha and Lincoln Counties) serves as its co-chair and treasurer
“Governor Larry Rhoden has brought a rancher’s sensibilities and problem solving to the Governor’s Office. I hope he chooses to run for a full term as Governor. If he does, Strong Safe & Free PAC stands ready to support him,” said Rep. Mike Derby. “While others are campaigning, he’s doing a great job focusing on leading our state.”
Governor Rhoden was sworn in on January 27, 2025, after Former Governor Kristi Noem became the United States Secretary of Homeland Security. The Republican Primary Election will take place on June 2, 2026.
“Governor Rhoden is proving that he can do the job as chief executive of the state,” said Sen. Arch Beal. “He’s keeping South Dakota Open for Opportunity for small business owners like me. I don’t see why we would need a new governor when our current leader is doing such a terrific job.”
Which predictably garnered some eyerolling. But, after one innocuous comment about why people don’t take Tom seriously, he launched into a tirade where I don’t think that I’ve ever seen a South Dakota legislator address anyone like this, much less a South Dakotan. But he did:
That’s a South Dakota State Senator, calling a South Dakotan a “douchebag” and taunting him with a claim that “your wife said I was impressive too?” Ew.
I know that’s not true, as “the wife” has been involved in politics and government for more than a decade. And she is well aware how classy Tom Pischke is. Unfortunately, it’s all low class.
Pischke later edited/deleted the later comment, but not before a screenshot was taken to be preserved for the ages.
Maybe he should not have tapped it out in the first place?
SENATOR MIKE ROUNDS WEEKLY ROUND[S] UP: July 28 – August 3, 2025
We had another busy week out in DC as we continue to work on confirming the President’s nominees. While we also had our usual schedule of meeting with South Dakotans and attending hearings and briefings, I was honored to be invited to the White House by President Trump this past week to attend an event on Making Health Technology Great Again. The President and his administration are utilizing AI technology to improve access to patients’ electronic medical records. The information used in these records will make it easier for patients to be diagnosed using AI. As a co-chair of the Senate’s AI Caucus, I’m excited about the potential this has to save lives and improve the quality of life for those who voluntarily participate. Watch a clip from the event here, and read more on the rest of my week in my Weekly Round[s] Up:
South Dakota groups I met with: Dr. Ben Jones and Tyler Tordsen, who are both serving on South Dakota’s planning commission for America’s 250th birthday next year; Dr. José-Marie Griffiths, President of Dakota State University; and Billy Mawhiney and Malachi Nelson, leaders from the South Dakota Afterschool Network.
South Dakota towns represented: Madison, Rapid City and Sioux Falls.
Other meetings: Dr. Joseph Jewell, nominee for Assistant Secretary of Defense for Science and Technology; leaders from Rwanda; David Beck, nominee for Deputy Administrator for Defense Programs at the National Nuclear Security Administration; Christopher Pilkerton, nominee for Assistant Secretary for Investment Security at the Department of Treasury; Neel Kashkari, President of the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis; and members of the American Council of Blind and American Foundation of the Blind.
I also co-hosted a dinner this past week for all of the former governors with my fellow former governor and current colleague Senator John Hickenlooper of Colorado. There are 12 of us in the Senate and we always enjoy reminiscing on what many of us consider to have been the best job in the world! I also attended our Senate Bible Study, where our verse of the week was Galatians 5:25, and our Senate Prayer Breakfast, where Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota was our speaker.
Committee work: I attended two committee events. The first was a business meeting in the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. At this business meeting, we marked up and passed the Road to Housing Act out of committee. I had four of my bills included in this package of legislation addressing housing issues. Access to safe affordable housing is critical to the strength and future of our communities. I’m proud that my legislation became key provisions in this bill, including modernizing rural housing programs, cutting burdensome regulations and giving local communities more tools to address homelessness and housing shortages. View a full list of my bills and read more about this legislation here.
I also chaired a hearing this past week in the Senate Banking Committee’s Subcommittee on Securities, Insurance, and Investment, titled “Guardrails and Growth: AI’s Role in Capital and Insurance Markets.” The hearing examined how artificial intelligence is transforming financial services and Congress’ role in fostering innovation while promoting transparency and accountability. Read more here.
Briefings and markups: I attended four classified briefings this past week: one classified briefing as part of my work on the Armed Services committee, one as part of my work on the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and two closed briefings in the Select Committee on Intelligence. I also attended another markup in the Senate Committee on Appropriations.
Legislation introduced: I reintroduced bipartisan, bicameral legislation to promote artificial intelligence (AI) innovation in the financial services industry. The Unleashing AI Innovation in Financial Services Act would direct financial regulatory agencies to create Innovation Labs for regulated entities to test AI projects, allowing them to experiment with cutting-edge technologies in a safe way. Read more about this bill here.
Votes taken: 63 – we confirmed an additional 18 nominees to the executive and judicial branch this week. We also passed three of our 12 appropriations bills. The Senate is finally making a return to regular order appropriations under Leader John Thune and Appropriations Chair Senator Collins’ leadership. This past week, the Senate passed the Milcon-VA, Agriculture and Legislative Branch appropriations bills, with $21.9 million for projects in South Dakota included. Glad to have worked on these as part of my first year serving on the Committee. Three bills down, nine to go!
My staff in South Dakota visited: Aberdeen, Chamberlain, Mitchell and Rosebud.
Steps taken: 54,580 steps or 24.64 miles.
Video of the week: I discussed our housing legislation with KOTA Territory News this past week:
Gov. Rhoden Announces District 1 House Appointment
PIERRE, S.D. – Today, Governor Larry Rhoden announced the appointment of Nick Fosness to represent District 1 in the South Dakota House of Representatives, effective immediately.
“Nick Fosness is a true South Dakotan. He believes in the importance of hard work, community and resilience – values that are essential to our state’s way of life,” said Governor Larry Rhoden. “I am confident that his leadership will help us keep South Dakota strong, safe, and free.”
Nick Fosness has extensive leadership experience, having served as the CEO of Marshall County Hospital Healthcare Center Avera for the last 13+ years. He is also the current Vice President and incoming Chair of the Board of Directors for the South Dakota Association of Healthcare Organizations. Aside from his healthcare and administrative background, Fosness spent nine years investing in education by serving on his local school board, seven of which he served as the President.
“I’m honored by Governor Rhoden’s faith in me, and I look forward to working on issues that help my neighbors,” said Nick Fosness.
Nick Fosness and his wife, Jenny, live in Britton, SD. Together, they have four children. You can find a photo of Nick Fosness here.
Former Senate President Pro Tempore Lee Schoenbeck has an interesting article in this months’ law review about the evolution of the role of Senate President Pro Tempore from being a functionary under the Lt. Governor to commanding the entire Senate.
This extensive and wide ranging review of the office also details several challenges the Senate has faced; including how the Senate functioned during disciplinary hearings for Senator Dan Sutton, Julie Frye Mueller, the impeachment of Jason Ravnsborg, and the Jessica Castleberry conflict of interest discussions among others.
For most of South Dakota’s history, the Executive Branch controlled the Senate. While the written history of when the change began is difficult to piece together, in 1969, Jim Abdnor, who was then the Lt. Governor, appointed members to standing committees. Later in life, United States Senator Jim Abdnor was my boss and friend. He recounted to me a story of a chairmanship appointment where he passed over a Senator from Sioux Falls, who, a decade later, still despised Abdnor when we were organizing the 1980 Abdnor United States Senate campaign.
In the 1970 gubernatorial general election, Democrat State Senator Dick Kneip unseated incumbent Republican Governor Frank Farrar, but Republicans maintained control of the Senate. When the Senate adopted the Rules in 1971, the Senate Journal reflected for the first time that the Majority Leader would control the committee appointments.4 This change is not surprising, as it was unlikely the Republican majority would have let Democrat Lt. Governor Bill Dougherty control organizing the Senate. At the time, the Democrats cried foul, calling it a “political railroad job.”
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The modern President Pro Tem office began with Senator Harold Halvorsen. The 1995 Senate Rule now provided the Pro Tem to assign seats12 and hire the Senate employees. While the committee appointment language in Senate Rule 7-1 didn’t change (the Pro Tem had been in the rule in 1994), the Pro Tem now exercised the appointment power. In 2001, the committee appointment rule again became Senate Rule 4-1 and was changed to remove the Majority Leader reference, who had not exercised the duties anyway since 1995.
The change in responsibility was largely unnoticed by many. I first served in 1995 and did not realize the shift until returning as a Senator and studying the process in 2003. In 1995, despite the rule language, Assistant Senate Majority Leader Jim Dunn assigned seats.
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I had already decided not to file for reelection and looked forward to quietly ending my Senate duties, but on October 11, 2006, the page’s father contacted me and lodged a formal complaint that his son had been sexually assaulted during the 2006 session by Senator Dan Sutton. I immediately contacted the Democrat Senate Minority Leader, Senator Gary Moore of Yankton, and we agreed to move forward on a bipartisan basis in any investigation.
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In 2024, the Speaker of the House and I successfully implemented an independent human resources function in the LRC. Until the termination of the LRC Director in 2014, the LRC had been fortunate to have been led by stable, long-term directors. From 2014 until 2023, though, the LRC lacked that type of Director, and employment issues in the work environment abounded. The LRC had no formal HR process. In 2024, the E-board agreed to hire an independent HR consultant to address key HR areas: exit interviews, personnel complaints, and annual reviews of the LRC Director and the Auditor General. This much-needed assistance should allow for a stronger operational LRC in the future.
For most of South Dakota’s history, the Executive Branch controlled the Senate. While the written history of when the change began is difficult to piece together, in 1969, Jim Abdnor, who was then the Lt. Governor, appointed members to standing committees. Later in life, United States Senator Jim Abdnor was my boss and friend. He recounted to me a story of a chairmanship appointment where he passed over a Senator from Sioux Falls, who, a decade later, still despised Abdnor when we were organizing the 1980 Abdnor United States Senate campaign.