![]() He went on to write that “the continued circulation and each new publication of the recorded image of sexual abuse inflicted on a child causes a new injury.” Stock image for illustrative purposes only of Department of Homeland Security agents | Photo courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security, St. In the affidavit, Fielding stated that child sex abuse imagery, along with the downloading, collecting, viewing and sharing of these materials causes harm to children. On March 30, Richens arrived at SeaTac International Airport in Seattle, Washington, on a return flight from the Philippines and was searched by border agents who recovered a cell phone that was seized by police.Ī forensic analysis of the cell phone revealed that the files associated with the sexual abuse of children were already stored on the device prior to the suspect’s trip to the Philippines and that Richens was in possession of the illicit files while still in Nephi. In fact, over a two-month period starting in September of last year, Richens “intentionally produced, possessed, or possessed with intent to distribute” images depicting the sexual abuse of children, or that he viewed the material, the report states. Agents determined the suspect had traveled to other southeastern Asian countries known to be associated with sex tourism, including Thailand and Cambodia. In the affidavit, Homeland Security Investigator Holden Fielding defined sexual tourism as “criminal conduct that takes place when a person travels to another country or nation where children are commonly trafficked for sexual abuse for the purpose of sexually abusing the children living in those nations.”įielding noted that evidence emerged indicating that Richens had gone to the Philippines 49 times since 2011. ![]() Homeland Security Investigation agents received information in March indicating that Richens was involved in “sex tourism,” according to the affidavit filed in support of the suspect’s arrest issued last week. George on May 4 just hours after the no-bail warrant was issued, according to court records. Charges were filed by Assistant Utah Attorney General Carl Hollan, according to charging documents filed in 4th District Court in Juab County last week. Kenneth Merlin Richens, 60, of Nephi, was booked into jail in Washington County on Thursday facing 10 second-degree felony charges of sexual exploitation of a minor. 2016 file photo for illustrative purposes only of officers in search of an individual in St. GEORGE - A suspect charged with 10 felony counts of sexual exploitation of a minor recently was arrested in St.
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