West Michigan man sentenced for sexually exploiting a child

DETROIT — A west Michigan man convicted of sexually exploiting a girl as part of an online child porn network faces 30 years in federal prison, officials said.

Richard Anthony Reyna Densmore, 47, of Kaleva, was given the sentence 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 kids and our communities: violent online extremists who manipulate their minor victims to commit self-harm and create sexually explicit images," Totten said in a statement. "While we will always fight to hold criminals like Richard Densmore accountable, we want to prevent this crime as much as possible. Parents: please talk with 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 to comment on Friday.

However, his attorney, Christopher Gibbons, said in an Oct. 24 sentencing memo, that his client "has freely admitted his wrongdoing in this case" and "has not minimized the extent and wrongfulness of his conduct."

Gibbons' memo also said Densmore has struggled with mental illness, anxiety and depression his entire life. He also mentioned his client's problems grew worse after his ex-wife died from cancer.

Authorities said the defendant is a member of 764, a network of violent extremists who seek to normalize the production, sharing and possession of child pornography as well as gore material to desensitize and corrupt youth toward 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 into their skin, and sexually explicit conduct. Officials said he solicited and encouraged minors to perform the acts.

In one case, Densmore admitted he paid another user of his chat room cryptocurrency in September 2022 to persuade a minor girl to send him a picture of her naked chest with the word "Rabid" written on it, prosecutors said.

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

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

"Richard Densmore will spend the next 30 years in federal prison for sexually exploiting a child and for his role in creating 764’s online networks that coerced children into recording themselves engaging in self-harm, sexually explicit acts, and violence," Attorney General Merrick Garland said in a statement. "No child should have to experience this heinous abuse. The Justice Department will ensure that criminals engaged in this depraved conduct are held accountable in a court of law."

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

"Today's sentencing of Richard Densmore, who sexually exploited and victimized children, reaffirms the FBI's steadfast commitment to bringing to justice those who harm our youth," Cheyvoryea Gibson, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI in Michigan, said in a statement. "This case is a powerful reminder that there are severe consequences for those who prey on children."

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