A man from St. Francois County, Missouri, has admitted in federal court to producing child sexual abuse material involving two underage girls. Richard James Miller, 41, pleaded guilty to two counts of production of child pornography in U.S. District Court.
Court documents state that Miller recorded his sexual abuse of the two juveniles on more than five occasions. One victim told investigators that Miller began engaging in sex acts with her when she was 15 years old. The other victim reported spending time at Miller’s apartment starting at age 8 or 9.
The investigation began in 2024 after Homeland Security Investigations found Kik messenger chats between a New Jersey man and Miller during a court-approved search of the New Jersey man's home. The chats included images that were considered child sexual abuse material. Investigators later interviewed Miller, who admitted to engaging in sex acts with young girls at his residence, including the older victim mentioned above. He also acknowledged exchanging sexually explicit photos with her.
Miller is set for sentencing on May 4. Each count of production of child pornography carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison.
The case was investigated by Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman is prosecuting the case.
According to officials, "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." The program is led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Department of Justice Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, which work together with federal, state, and local resources to locate and prosecute individuals exploiting children online and identify victims. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
