Richard O’Hara, Online Child Sex Solicitation, NY 2024

Richard O’Hara, 31, of Glen Aubrey, New York, was booked into federal custody yesterday after attempting to solicit sex from a 10-year-old girl he believed to be real — but was in fact an undercover law enforcement officer. The arrest, announced by U.S. Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and FBI Special Agent in Charge Thomas F. Relford, marks another brutal takedown in the ongoing war against online predators.

O’Hara was taken into custody in Binghamton after showing up at a prearranged house expecting to meet the child. According to the criminal complaint, he had been communicating online through a public social networking platform, responding to a post he thought was from a parent offering access to their daughter. In the messages, O’Hara allegedly promised the girl gifts in exchange for sex acts — conversations that quickly turned explicit and incriminating.

The entire interaction was part of a coordinated sting operation run by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Investigators say O’Hara believed he was corresponding with both a mother and her 10-year-old daughter. His willingness to travel to the location — and his statements during the exchange — formed the basis for the charge of attempted coercion and enticement of a minor, a federal offense carrying severe penalties.

If convicted, O’Hara faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, with the possibility of life behind bars. He could also be fined up to $250,000 and sentenced to a term of supervised release lasting between five years and life. Registration as a sex offender is also required under federal law, a lifelong consequence that follows conviction.

Following his initial appearance in federal court in Binghamton, O’Hara was ordered detained pending further proceedings. The charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. No attorney information was made public at the time of filing.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael D. Gadarian as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation online. The program combines federal, state, and local efforts to identify, rescue, and bring justice for victims — while hunting down predators like O’Hara who believe the internet offers them cover. For more information, visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

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