Orem man who pretended to be cop sentenced for child porn

SALT LAKE CITY — An man known around his Orem apartment complex as Lieutenant D will spend 19 years behind bars for secretly making sexually explicit videos of children.

Judge Dee Benson issued the sentence to David Morris Richards, 55, in U.S. District Court on Tuesday. Richards earlier pleaded guilty to one count of production of child pornography.

Richards led people to believe he was a police officer, had a uniform and a badge, and kept red and blue lights in his car, according to court documents. He enticed young children into his apartment with money, toys and candy. He offered them drinks until they had to use the bathroom, where he surreptitiously taped them with cameras and computer equipment.

A woman visiting the complex where Richards had lived for 17 years saw him talking with a young girl behind a tree. His body language and the way he looked around struck her as odd so she called the Orem Police Department, which launched an investigation last year.

In an agreement with Richards, federal prosecutors recommended a 17-year sentence, subject to Benson's approval. Federal prosecutors agreed to the sentence in an effort to keep the young victims from having to testify in a trial.

After discussions and negotiations in court, Benson imposed the 19-year prison sentence.

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