Justin Claude Richardson, Receipt of Child Pornography, TN 2021

Erwin, Tennessee, resident Justin Claude Richardson, 29, was sentenced to 160 months in federal prison on November 18, 2021, after pleading guilty to receipt of child pornography. The conviction, handed down by U.S. District Judge R. Leon Jordan in Greeneville, marks a grim end to a digital trail of exploitation uncovered during a routine traffic stop that spiraled into a federal child exploitation case.

Richardson’s arrest stemmed from a May 13, 2019, traffic stop in Unicoi County, where law enforcement initially suspected him in a kidnapping investigation. During the encounter, officers seized his cellular telephone, which later revealed approximately 2,364 images of child pornography. Forensic analysis showed the collection included depictions of infants, bestiality, and sadomasochistic acts. His web browser history displayed hundreds of targeted searches for illegal content, many conducted just hours before his arrest.

As part of his plea agreement filed in the Eastern District of Tennessee, Richardson admitted guilt under 18 U.S.C. 2252A(a)(2)(A) and (b)(1), facing the full weight of federal sentencing guidelines. In addition to his prison term, he will be under federal supervision for 20 years upon release and must register as a sex offender in Tennessee, complying with all state-mandated monitoring and restrictions.

The investigation was a joint effort between the Unicoi County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, led by FBI Special Agent Bianca Pearson. Authorities traced Richardson’s digital footprints through metadata and download histories, linking him directly to the possession and receipt of the illicit material. The case relied heavily on the Child Victim Identification Program database managed by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC).

Richardson has also been ordered to pay restitution to identified victims, a growing standard in federal child pornography prosecutions. Each victim’s claim was validated through NCMEC’s extensive tracking system, which helps quantify the ongoing harm caused by the distribution and possession of exploitative material.

This case was prosecuted under Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation. Assistant United States Attorney J. Gregory Bowman represented the federal government. PSC continues to coordinate federal, state, and local efforts to dismantle networks of child abuse and bring perpetrators to justice. For more information on internet safety and PSC, visit www.justice.gov/psc.