An Aurora man has been sentenced to 34 years in federal prison for enticing children to produce sexually explicit images of themselves.
Richard Barnett, 46, pleaded guilty in February to sexual exploitation of a minor and making threats by interstate communication.
He was sentenced Tuesday.
Federal authorities say Barnett claimed to be 12 or 13 years old when he contacted at least four young girls online, via the now-defunct Musical.ly social media lip-sync video platform, to request the images. The girls were 9 to 13 years old.
He threatened to hurt some of them, including telling one girl he would kidnap, assault and murder her if she did not comply with his demands.
Barnett was prosecuted in the U.S. District Court for Northern Illinois.
As part of his plea, Barnett also stipulated that he possessed child sexual abuse materials and that he had enticed children to engage in sexual conduct. The stipulations were used for sentence calculations.
He has been in custody since his arrest in 2017.
Prosecutors asked for 40 years. According to their request, Barnett told authorities he committed the crimes because he was bored and had a drinking problem.
His defense asked for 15 years, citing his lack of criminal history and the classes and programs he participated in while detained. They also noted he had been in the Navy for 14 years, then worked for the FAA and TSA.
Gerald Steele is the founder of Stonegate Health Rehab. He shares expert insights, recovery tips, and rehab resources to support individuals on their journey to wellness.