U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown | U.S. Department of Justice
Richard Dean Hicks, a 68-year-old resident of Pioneer, Louisiana, has been found guilty by a federal jury in Monroe on charges related to sexual exploitation and trafficking of minors. The trial lasted three days under the supervision of United States District Judge Terry A. Doughty.
Hicks faced multiple charges from a superseding indictment issued on September 27, 2023. These included attempted sexual exploitation of a minor, sex trafficking of a minor, promotion and solicitation of child pornography, and attempted production of child pornography. The charges were part of an investigation that began in 2012 into individuals involved with child sex traffickers in the Philippines. These individuals allegedly paid for live-streamed videos showing the abuse of children.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) agents executed a search warrant at a Philadelphia residence during the investigation. They identified an individual in the Philippines selling explicit live webcam shows involving minors. This led to Hicks being identified as someone communicating with several women in the Philippines from December 2017 through July 2020. Evidence showed that Hicks exchanged approximately 500 text messages and Skype calls with these women, paying them to abuse children while he watched.
The trial presented evidence that Hicks used Western Union to send payments ranging from $25 to $120 for these activities. On May 31, 2022, authorities searched his home in Pioneer, Louisiana, seizing computers and electronic equipment used for viewing these illegal acts.
The jury delivered a guilty verdict on all counts after deliberating for just two and a half hours. Following the verdict, Hicks was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal Service. He faces a minimum sentence of 15 years up to life imprisonment and may also receive lifetime supervised release along with fines up to $250,000. His sentencing date is yet to be determined.
“This case involves some of the most heinous forms of child abuse that we have seen,” stated U.S. Attorney Brandon B. Brown. He praised HSI agents for their work leading to this conviction in north Louisiana.
Special Agent Eric DeLaune emphasized the difficulty in uncovering such crimes but expressed satisfaction with the jury's decision: "Despite the complexity of this case... their verdict sends the message those who victimize children will be held accountable."
An individual arrested in Philadelphia received a sentence of over 19 years imprisonment plus lifetime supervision. Meanwhile, investigations continue concerning female subjects in the Philippines involved in this network; over 300 children have been rescued so far.
This prosecution was supported by HSI New Orleans and New England divisions alongside Assistant United States Attorneys Casey N. Richmond and J. Luke Walker under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative by the Department of Justice against child sexual exploitation online.
For further information or reporting related incidents regarding child pornography or exploitation materials—terms legally recognized as capturing abuse—visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov or contact NCMEC at https://report.cybertip.org or call their hotline at 1-800-843-5678.
