65-Year-Old Southington Man Indicted In Federal Child Porn Case

SOUTHINGTON, CT — A 65-year-old Southington man is facing 40 years in prison in a federal child pornography case, authorities said.

Leonard C. Boyle, acting United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, and William S. Walker, acting special agent in charge at the Homeland Security Investigations unit in Boston, said Friday that a federal grand jury in New Haven has returned an indictment charging Richard E. Smith with receipt and possession of child pornography.

The indictment was returned on March 29 and Smith appeared Thursday via videoconference before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson. He entered a not guilty plea, Boyle said.

Smith has been detained since his arrest on a criminal complaint on October 1, 2020.

According to court documents, on that day, federal authorities, assisted by Southington police, conducted a court-authorized search of Smith's Southington residence. At the time of the search, Smith’s computer was running and connected to a website dedicated to child pornography, and one of Smith’s four computer monitors displayed a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet containing numerous child pornography filenames and internet hyperlinks, Boyle said.

Investigators seized Smith’s computer and electronic devices and forensic analysis of the seized devices revealed millions of images and videos depicting "the sexual abuse of children," according to case records.

If convicted, Smith faces a maximum term of imprisonment of up to 40 years, Boyle said.