Arizona Man Sentenced to Two Years in Prison for Travel
with Intent to Engage in Sex with Minors

Richard Hendryx, 79, of Morristown, Ariz., was sentenced today to two years in prison and lifetime supervised release to follow his prison term for travel with intent to engage in sex with minors. 

Hendryx was charged on May 6, 2008, with one count of travel with intent to engage in a sexual act with a minor and two counts of distribution of child pornography. The charges were brought after Hendryx arrived at a prearranged meeting spot and paid to go on what he believed to be a tour of Mexico that would offer him an opportunity to have sex with two boys under the age of 11. In reality, the tour was an undercover operation run by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Hendryx pleaded guilty to the charge against him on Dec. 29, 2008. As part of his plea agreement, Hendryx admitted to arranging and paying to be taken to Mexico in order to have sex with two boys aged eight and 10 years.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorney James Silver of CEOS, with assistance from Senior Litigation Counsel Vincent Q. Kirby and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon K. Sexton of the District of Arizona.  ICE conducted the investigation.