DENVER – Richard Hennis, 41, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, will spend the next 27 years in federal prison after being sentenced to 324 months for the sickening production and transportation of child pornography. U.S. District Court Judge Philip A. Brimmer handed down the sentence earlier this week, a grim reckoning for a predator who actively sought out and encouraged the abuse of a vulnerable infant.
The case, a joint effort by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Denver, the Colorado Springs Police Department’s Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Unit, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office, revealed a chilling exchange between Hennis and his co-defendant, Brandi Leonard. Both were initially charged on March 11, 2016, and indicted by a federal grand jury a month later, on April 5, 2016. Hennis ultimately pled guilty on November 21, 2016.
Court records paint a horrifying picture: Leonard confessed to sexually abusing an infant during online chats with Hennis. Instead of reporting the abuse, Hennis encouraged Leonard to continue, demanding she document the acts and send him the resulting images. Law enforcement recovered the depraved photos from Hennis’s phone, proving he didn’t just receive the material – he actively solicited it. He then disseminated the images to another online contact, amplifying the harm to the victim.
The depravity didn’t stop there. The online conversations between Hennis and Leonard took a dark turn, detailing graphic discussions about kidnapping, raping, killing, and dismembering a child between the ages of 4 and 8. While Leonard twice expressed hesitation, the evidence clearly demonstrates Hennis’s relentless pursuit of horrific content. Following his prison term, Hennis will serve 10 years of supervised release. He was remanded into custody immediately after sentencing.
Brandi Leonard, who pled guilty to one count of production of child pornography on April 13, 2017, faces a penalty of not less than 15 years, and not more than 30 years in federal prison, along with a potential $250,000 fine. Her sentencing is scheduled for July 21, 2017. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alecia L. Riewerts, of the Cybercrime and National Security Section, is prosecuting the case.
This prosecution is part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative dedicated to combating child sexual exploitation. The program brings together federal, state, and local resources to identify, apprehend, and prosecute those who prey on children online, and to rescue victims. Anyone with information about child exploitation is urged to contact the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children or their local law enforcement agency. Further information on Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
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Key Facts
- State: Colorado
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes|Cybercrime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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