SACRAMENTO, CALIF. — This is an official press release from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO - California, Eastern), published as received.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Paul Joseph Richards, 51, of Folsom, pleaded guilty today to receipt of child sexual abuse material (CSAM), U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.

According to court documents, from December 2023 through April 2025, Richards used the web browser BitTorrent to access and download large quantities of pornography, including over 10,000 files containing CSAM. When law enforcement searched Richards’s devices pursuant to a warrant, they located CSAM on Richards’ desktop computer, on an external hard drive found attached to the computer, and on Richards’ iPhone. In an interview with law enforcement, Richards admitted he downloaded the files and viewed the files, including describing some of the content.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Folsom Police Department conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Douglas Harman is prosecuting the case.

Richards is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Daniel J. Calabretta on Aug. 27, 2026. Richards faces a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute those who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. Click on the “resources” tab for information about internet-safety education.