EAST ST. LOUIS - Thomas J. Richter, 30, from Troy, Illinois, was charged on March 7, 2017 in federal court by a two-count criminal complaint alleging Distribution and Receipt of Child Pornography, United States Attorney Donald S. Boyce has announced. After a detention hearing held today, Richter was released on bond with electronic leg monitoring.
The offenses charged in the criminal complaint allege that in October and November 2016, Richter distributed and received numerous images containing child pornography using an internet application. If convicted of distribution and/or receipt of child pornography, Richter faces a term of imprisonment of not less than five (5) years up to twenty (20) years, a fine up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of not less than five (5) years up to life on each count.
Get The Latest News!
Don't miss our top stories and need-to-know news everyday in your inbox.
A criminal complaint is a formal charge against a defendant that is comprised of the essential facts constituting the offense charged. Under the law, a defendant is presumed to be innocent of a charge until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt to the satisfaction of a jury.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and
prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit
www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “resources.”
The case was investigated by the Madison County Sheriff’s Department and the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Metro East Cyber Crimes and Analysis Task Force. The case is assigned to Assistant United States Attorney Christopher Hoell.
More like this:
