⏱ 2 min read
Paul Joseph Richards, a 51-year-old Folsom man, has pleaded guilty to receiving child sexual abuse material. Between December 2023 and April 2025, Richards used the web browser BitTorrent to access and download large quantities of pornography, including over 10,000 files containing child sexual abuse material, in Folsom, California.
When law enforcement searched Richards’ devices, they found child sexual abuse material on his desktop computer, an external hard drive, and his iPhone. In an interview, Richards admitted to downloading and viewing the files, describing some of the content.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Folsom Police Department conducted the investigation, which was part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Richards is scheduled to be sentenced on August 27, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence will be determined by the court after considering statutory factors and federal Sentencing Guidelines.
Related Federal Cases
- Henry Obdulio Cordon, Child Sexual Abuse, California 2011 · Florida
- Kyle Travis Colton, Child Sex Abuse Material Receipt, California 2024 · Nevada
- Michael Quinn, Child Sex Abuse, California 2016 · Ohio
- Robert Ruben Ornelas, Child Sex Abuse, California 2023 · Florida
- Erik Leonardus Peeters, International Child Sex Abuse, California 2023 · Ohio
📋 Key Facts
- Crime: Sex Crimes
- Defendant: California
- Location: CA
- Source: DOJ Press Release
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