West Michigan man convicted of sexual exploitation of a child

A Western Michigan man convicted of sexually exploiting a girl as part of an online child pornography ring faces up to 30 years in prison, officials said.

Richard Anthony Reyna Densmore, 47, of Kaleva, was sentenced by a judge in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan, Southern Division, in Grand Rapids, Mark Totten, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Michigan, announced Thursday .

“This case represents a new and depraved threat against our children and our communities: violent online extremists who manipulate their child victims to harm themselves and create sexually explicit images,” Totten said in a statement. “While we will always fight to hold criminals like Richard Densmore to account, we want to prevent this crime as much as possible. Parents: Please talk to your children about this threat; monitor their social media use and let them know they can always come to you if they mess up.”

Densmore’s attorney was not immediately available for comment Friday.

However, his attorney, Christopher Gibbons, said in an Oct. 24 sentencing memo that his client “openly admitted his wrongdoing in this case” and “failed to minimize the extent and wrongfulness of his conduct.”

Gibbons’ memo also states that Densmore has struggled with mental illness, anxiety and depression throughout his life. He also said his client’s problems worsened after his ex-wife died of cancer.

Authorities said the defendant is a member of 764, a network of violent extremists that seeks to normalize the production, sharing and possession of child pornography as well as gory material to desensitize and corrupt young people for future acts of violence.

A federal grand jury indicted Densmore in February on charges of sexual exploitation of a child, conspiracy to sexually exploit a child, coercion and enticement, and possession of child pornography.

They said Densmore used the online alias “Rabid” to create a chat room that streamed minors engaging in self-harm, such as writing or cutting their skin, and sexually explicit behavior. Officials said he solicited and encouraged minors to perform the acts.

In one case, Densmore admitted that in September 2022, he paid another user of his cryptocurrency chat room to convince an underage girl to send him a photo of her bare breast with the word “Rabid” written on it, prosecutors said.

After the girl expressed reservations, he contacted another user she was in an online relationship with and asked him to send her a nude photo with “Rabid” written on her chest, federal agents said. Densmore told them he had also paid the second user with cryptocurrency.

Investigators said the girl sent Densmore and the other user a video of herself naked with the word written on her chest.

“Richard Densmore will spend the next thirty years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child and for his role in creating the 764 online networks that forced children to record themselves engaging in self-harm, sexually explicit acts and violence,” said Attorney General Merrick Garland. said in a statement. “No child should have to experience this horrific abuse. The Department of Justice will ensure that criminals who engage in this depraved behavior are held accountable in the courts.”

He agreed to plead guilty to sexual exploitation of a child in July, according to court records. This crime carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.

“Today’s conviction of Richard Densmore, who sexually exploited and victimized children, reaffirms the FBI’s steadfast commitment to bringing to justice those who harm our youth,” said Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge leadership of the FBI in Michigan, in a statement. “This case is a stark reminder that there are serious consequences for those who prey on children.”

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@CharlesERamirez