Indy Man Gets 60 Years for Child Sex Abuse Images

INDIANAPOLIS – In a chilling case of child exploitation, Donald Robert Richards, III, 32, has been sentenced to 60 years in federal prison for sexually abusing two young girls under his care and distributing images of the abuse online.

Richards was caught after communicating with an undercover agent in an online chatroom, where he uploaded explicit images of the children and described his actions. The investigation led by the Indiana Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force uncovered a trail of horror: Richards had repeatedly sexually exploited both girls, who were under six years old, and filmed the abuse.

U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Myers called Richards’s actions “the most perilous places for our young victims to be,” emphasizing that the children should have felt safest at home with a family member. The ICAC Task Force’s efforts were crucial in rescuing the girls from the darkness of Richards’s abuse.

Assistant United States Attorney Kristina M. Korobov announced that Richards must pay $20,000 in restitution and will be under federal supervision for life after his release. The Indiana ICAC Task Force, a partnership of federal, state, and local law enforcement, is dedicated to combating technology-facilitated child exploitation.

This case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Justice Department initiative launched in 2006 to combat the online exploitation of children. In fiscal year 2019, the Southern District of Indiana was among the top federal districts for child sexual exploitation cases prosecuted.

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