Northern Michigan Man Pleads Guilty to Sexually Exploiting Children as a part of the Violent Child Pornography Network 764

A northern Michigan man pleads guilty to sexually exploiting children as a part of a violent online child pornography network. Last Thursday the United States District Court of Western Michigan attorney Mark Totten announced that Richard Anthony Rena Densmore, 47 years old of Keleva, Michigan, plead guilty to sexually exploiting children, facing a minimum of 15 years in jail.

Densmore, known by his online alias Rabid, is a member of the online decentralized network of child pornography groups called 764. As a part of his plea, Densmore admitted that in 2022, under the username Rabid#7997, while on the platform Discord sent a message to a victim asking for an explicit photo with his username drawn on. When he was denied, he then contacted another user who had a previous relationship with the victim, offering him money in exchange for encouraging the victim to send the secondary user the photo. Evidence presented in the case showed that Densmore operated several servers as a part of the decentralized network.

After evidence was seized from Densmore the court showed that he sought to gain more material on new devices including a photo of a bloody r carved into a victim’s skin.

FBI Special Agent in Charge in Michigan Cheyvoryea Gibson says we must educate and equip our children and parents with the resources to navigate the internet cautiously. US Attorney Mark Totten reiterated that parents should look for unexpected packages, as members of these groups are known to send children razorblades, sexual devices, and other material for creating content.

Find more information below.

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U.S. Attorney Mark Totten reiterated that parents should look for unexpected packages, as
members of these abuse and extortion networks are known to send children razor blades, sexual
devices, and other materials to use in creating online content. The FBI further advised the public
to take a number of precautionary steps, including:

–  Looking for fresh cuts, bruises, wounds, and scars in unusual patterns;
–  Looking for sudden behavior and appearance changes;
–  Being attentive to children wearing long sleeves or pants in unusual circumstances;
–  Monitoring children’s online activity and discussing the risks of sharing
information and content; and
–  Running frequent online searches of family and children’s information to help
identify and prevent the spread of personal information on the internet.

If you are worried about someone who might be self-harming or is at risk of suicide, please
consult a health care professional or call 9-1-1 in the event of an immediate, life-threatening
emergency. The FBI is investigating this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Townshend is
prosecuting it.

Find more resources here.