United States Attorney Deborah R. Gilg announced that Abraham Richardson, age 26 of Grand Island, Nebraska, was sentenced on August 9, 2012, in Lincoln, Nebraska, to 20 years in prison by Senior United States District Judge Richard G. Kopf, for receipt and distribution of child pornography.  The sentence also requires Richardson to serve a lifetime term of supervised release following his incarceration, pay $3,333.00 in restitution, forfeit computer equipment to the United States, and to be registered as a sex offender.

While conducting an undercover operation in March 2010, an investigator with the FBI in Rochester, New York, was able to access child pornography images from computers that were using file sharing software publicly available on the internet through a peer-to-peer Network.  Investigators determined Richardson was one of the users who sent a friend request to an undercover investigator and allowed the investigator to view and download files which contained child pornography.

A search warrant was executed at Richardson’s residence in Grand Island in February 2011.  Forensic examination of the computers and related storage media which were seized revealed over 15,000 images of child pornography.

In addition to this case for which Richardson was sentenced, he is facing charges in a case pending in Hall County District Court.  Those charges include kidnapping and sexual assault of a child.

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 United States 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.

This case was investigated by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.

 

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