Published: September 25, 2008 03:32 pm      

FUMC-Royse City stunned by pastor’s arrest

By David Wilfong

Herald-Banner Staff



Members of the First United Methodist Church were in shock when they learned that their pastor, Steve Richardson, had been arrested by agents of the Immigration Customs Enforcement (ICE) on charges relating to child pornography.

Richardson was taken into custody on Wednesday on a charge of transporting child pornography, at which time agents confiscated his computer and executed warrants at his home and church.

According to a statement released by the office of U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper, Richardson has already admitted to ICE agents that he had been trading child pornography online using his work computer.

The trading apparently took place on a “Google Hello” Internet program.

The arrest was the result of a long-term investigation by ICE that involved at least two other persons.

According to Roper’s statement, the investigation began in August 2007 when ICE Special Agents executed a search warrant in a child pornography investigation at the residence of an individual who consented to agents assuming his online presence on Google Hello to communicate with individuals involved in distributing child pornography.

On December 20, 2007, an ICE Special Agent, using that identity in an undercover capacity said he communicated with and received an image of child pornography from Hello user “cowboysspades.” He received a total of six images from “cowboysspades,” one of which fits the definition of child pornography (the other images would be considered child erotica).

In a Sept. 26, 2007 ICE raid, special agents executed a search warrant on a private residence which resulted in the seizure of computers and arrest of an individual for possession of child pornography.

That individual advised that one of the screen names he remembered trading with on Google Hello was “cowboysspades” and that “cowboysspades” had sent him “homemade” images within the past three months.

Examination of that person’s computer revealed a folder named “from coyboysspades,” which contained approximately 30 images of child pornography.

According to investigators, the Google Hello records for “cowboysspades” lists the email address as “girlpedolover@hushmail.com.” Further investigation revealed that the Yahoo! e-mail name “girlpedolover@yahoo.com” is registered to Steve Richardson in Royse City, Texas, with the same IP address as one of the nine IP addresses “cowboysspades” used to logon to his Hello account.

The statement goes on to say, “Further forensic investigation revealed additional chats between ‘cowboysspades’ and others. In one, ‘cowboysspades’ received and distributed dozens of images of child pornography including several images of infants engaged in sexually explicit conduct.”

Steve Richardson and his wife adopted an infant girl from Ethiopia, which they brought home to the United States on May 5. Currently, there is no reference to the international adoptee in the criminal complaint.

Richardson came to Royse City in August of 2006 following five years of service with the First United Methodist Church in Boyd.