Press Release
☷Seal Cove Man Sentenced to 70 Years for Multiple Child Pornography Offenses
Federal Bureau of Investigation ( By Press Release office)
Apr 29,2022
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Seal Cove Man Sentenced to 70 Years for Multiple Child Pornography Offenses Corrected 04/29/22 BANGOR , Maine: A Seal Cove man was sentenced today in federal court for three counts of production of child pornography , one count of transportation of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography , U . S . Attorney Darcie N . McElwee announced . U . S . District Judge Lance E . Walker sentenced Keegan Richardson , 28 , to 70 years in prison and a lifetime of supervised release . He was also ordered to pay $29 , 000 in restitution . Richardson pleaded guilty on October 4 , 2021 . “These cases shock the conscience , ” Judge Walker said in handing down the sentence . “It is impossible to overstate the harm the defendant has inflicted on [these children] and , by extension , to an unknown degree , on the community at large . What is just punishment for terrorizing [these children] and marketing that terrorism to strangers over the internet ”According to court records , on July 6 , 2020 , Richardson entered a private internet chat group and began communicating with an undercover FBI agent . This chat group was known to the agent as a place where people met , discussed and traded original child sexual abuse material of underage children and links to child pornography . Richardson confirmed that he had access to a female minor and shared multiple sexually explicit images of the minor with the agent . A search warrant was obtained for Richardson’s residence and phone , and he was arrested . Investigators later learned that he had access to two additional minors . On his phone , a forensic examiner found multiple sexually explicit images of the three minors that Richardson had taken with his phone . Additional child sexual abuse material involving different minors was also discovered . The FBI , the Hancock County Sheriff’s Office , the Maine State Police , and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency investigated the case . “Holding those who engage in child exploitation enterprises and create child sexual abuse material accountable is and will remain a top priority for the Justice Department , the FBI and our office , ” McElwee said . “Keegan Richardson not only preyed on children , he callously violated three children who trusted him , causing lasting and profound damage . I can think of no greater violation , and I commend the FBI for their quick action to protect those children from further harm . ”Project Safe Childhood: 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 May 2006 by the Department of Justice . Led by U . S . Attorneys’ Offices and the Department’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section , Project Safe Childhood marshals federal , state and local resources to better locate , apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet , as well as to identify and rescue victims . For more information about Project Safe Childhood , please visit www . justice . gov/psc . # # #*Corrected 04/29/22: U . S . District Judge Lance E . Walker was incorrectly listed as “U . S . District Judge Lawrence E . Walker” in the original press release dated 04/28/22 . The press release has been updated with the correct information .
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