Richard J. Pavel III, a 34-year-old resident of the District of Columbia, was arrested and charged with distribution and receipt of child pornography. The charges stem from his involvement in conversations discussing the sexual abuse of young boys and trading multiple images of child pornography with another individual, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
Law enforcement executed warrants at Pavel’s Northwest Washington, D.C., residence on September 4, 2025. Authorities seized several electronic devices during the search and took Pavel into custody. Following his initial court appearance on the same day, he was ordered held pending a detention hearing scheduled for September 9.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 aimed at combating child sexual exploitation and abuse. According to the Department of Justice, Project Safe Childhood coordinates federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children online while also working to identify and rescue victims. More information about this initiative can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
The investigation involved the FBI Washington Field Office and the Metropolitan Police Department’s Child Exploitation and Human Trafficking Task Force. This task force includes FBI agents as well as other federal agents and detectives from northern Virginia and the District of Columbia. Its mandate is to investigate cases involving child exploitation and human trafficking.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Rachel Bohlen is prosecuting the case.
"Richard J. Pavel III, 34, of the District of Columbia, was arrested and charged last week with distribution and receipt of child pornography in the context of actively discussing the sexual abuse of young boys," announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.
