Tampa Couple Sentenced To Life And 40 Years In Prison For Sexually Abusing 7-Year-Old Child

Tampa, Florida – U.S. District Judge Virginia Hernandez Covington today sentenced Richmond Joseph McDonald (40, Tampa) and Shauna Maryann Boselli (25, Tampa) to life, and 40 years in federal prison, respectively, for enticement of a minor to engage in sexually explicit conduct. McDonald and Boselli previously pleaded guilty.

According to court documents, McDonald and his wife, Boselli, engaged in sexual activity with a 7-year-old girl, with the consent of her relative. McDonald and Boselli engaged in explicit conversation, via the Internet and text messages, with the minor’s relative regarding sexual acts with the child victim.

On July 19, 2016, the child’s relative brought the child to Tampa to meet McDonald and Boselli for the purpose of all three engaging in sex acts with the victim.  The relative took the child to the Lowry Park Zoo in Tampa, where they met with McDonald and Boselli. After spending time at the zoo and taking the child for ice cream, McDonald and Boselli led the relative and the child to their house in Tampa.  While at the house, McDonald and Boselli sexually abused the child while the relative watched. Afterwards, the relative and the child returned to their hotel in Tampa. On July 21, 2016, McDonald and Boselli met with the relative and child at their hotel, where couple engaged in multiple sex acts with the victim.

Federal agents with Homeland Security Investigations executed a federal search warrant at the defendants’ residence and seized numerous electronic devices and the vehicle that McDonald and Boselli had used in the commission of the offense. A forensic analysis on all of the devices revealed that McDonald was in possession of over 1,300 child-pornographic images, including images and videos of the child victim performing sex acts.

The victim’s relative was prosecuted in federal court, in Orlando, and was previously sentenced to 75 years in prison.

“These crimes are tragic and heart breaking beyond comprehension,” said HSI Tampa Special Agent in Charge James C. Spero. “Our greatest hope is that putting this predatory couple behind bars can help this young girl in her recovery process.”

This case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations and the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Lisa M. Thelwell and Josephine W. Thomas.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.  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 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.justice.gov/psc.