Northern Michigan man pleads guilty to sexually exploiting 764 children as part of violent child pornography network

A Northern Michigan man pleads guilty to sexually exploiting children as part of a violent online child pornography network. Last Thursday, attorney Mark Totten of the U.S. District Court of Western Michigan announced that Richard Anthony Rena Densmore, 47, of Keleva, Michigan, pleaded guilty to sexually exploiting children and faces a minimum of 15 years in prison.

Densmore, known by his online alias Rabid, is a member of the decentralized online network of child pornography groups called 764. As part of his confession, Densmore admitted that in 2022, he sent a message to a victim on the Discord platform under the username Rabid#7997, requesting a clear photo that featured his username. When he was denied, he contacted another user who had a previous relationship with the victim and offered him money if he encouraged the victim to send the photo to the secondary user. Evidence presented in the case showed that Densmore operated several servers as part of the decentralized network.

After evidence was seized from Densmore, the court showed that he had attempted to obtain additional material on new equipment, including a photograph of a bloody “R” carved into a victim’s skin.

FBI Special Agent in Charge of Michigan Cheyvoryea Gibson says we need to educate our children and parents and give them the resources to surf the Internet carefully. U.S. Attorney Mark Totten reiterated that parents should be on the lookout for unexpected packages, as members of these groups are known to send children razor blades, sex toys and other content creation materials.

For more information, see below.

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US Attorney Mark Totten reiterated that parents should be on the lookout for unexpected packages,
Members of these abuse and blackmail networks are known to send children razor blades,
devices and other materials for creating online content. The FBI also advised the public
to take a number of precautionary measures, including:

– Look for fresh cuts, bruises, wounds and scars in unusual patterns;
– Pay attention to sudden changes in behavior and appearance;
– Watch for children wearing long sleeves or pants in unusual situations;
– Monitoring children’s online activities and discussing the risks of sharing
Information and content; and
– Conduct regular online searches for information about your family and children to
Detecting and preventing the spread of personal data on the Internet.

If you are concerned about someone who is self-harming or suicidal, please contact
Consult a doctor or call 9-1-1 in case of immediate, life-threatening
Emergency. The FBI is investigating this case and Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Townshend is
to prosecute it.

You can find more resources here.