Missouri man sentenced to 50 years for recording child sexual abuse after HSI St. Louis investigation

ST. LOUIS - Homeland Security Investigations St. Louis and the Department of Justice announced that Richard James Miller, 41, of St. Francois County, was sentenced to 50 years in federal prison. Miller pleaded guilty in February to two counts of production of child sexual abuse material.

"Richard James Miller committed horrific crimes that inflicted unconscionable trauma on children," said HSI St. Louis Assistant Special Agent in Charge Gregory Paris. "I am extremely proud of our agents' diligent work in putting him behind bars so he can't abuse another child. HSI works hard every day to find individuals like this who have no moral compass and exploit the weak and vulnerable who are unable to defend themselves."

HSI St. Louis began investigating Miller in 2024, when a court-approved search of a New Jersey man's home uncovered Kik messenger chats with Miller containing images constituting child sexual abuse material. HSI St. Louis located and interviewed Miller, who admitted engaging in sex acts with young girls at his home in the past. He also admitted distributing photos of one of the victims in a Kik group chat.

The investigation revealed Miller recorded his sexual abuse of the two juveniles between Jan. 1, 2022, and May 24, 2024. One victim told investigators her abuse began when she was 15 years old while the second stated she began spending time in Miller's apartment when she was 8 or 9 years old. Miller initially told the second victim to undress so he could take pictures of her and send them to friends. In statements read to the court Monday, both victims stated Miller threatened to kill their relatives. One stated he threatened to make her watch as he killed her two dogs.

In court, Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman told U.S. District Judge Matthew T. Schelp that although a third juvenile victim was not presenting a statement, she was abused in the same manner.

HSI St. Louis partnered with the Park Hills Police Department and Missouri State Highway Patrol's Division of Drug and Crime Control to investigate this case.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyle Bateman prosecuted the case.

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. For more information, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.