Joplin man who assaulted, videoed nine-year-old girl sentenced to 25 years

(From the U. S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri)

A Joplin, Mo., man was sentenced in federal court today for recording cell phone videos of his sexual assaults upon a 9-year-old victim.

Richard James York, 27, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge M. Douglas Harpool to 25 years in federal prison without parole.


On Jan. 31, 2018, York pleaded guilty to the sexual exploitation of a child. York admitted that he used a nine-year-old minor (identified as Jane Doe) to produce child pornography from March 1, 2017, to March 16, 2017. York sexually assaulted the child victim and made several videos of the assault with his cell phone. Those videos were discovered by another person, who contacted law enforcement.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ami Harshad Miller. It was investigated by the Southwest Missouri Cyber Crime Task Force and the Jasper County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.