Rochester man indicted by feds on sexual exploitation of minor charges

Richard J. Crispin (York County Jail photo)

CONCORD - A Rochester man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Monday and charged with sexual exploitation of a minor, the U.S. Attorneys Office announced today.
Richard J. Crispin, 26, has been in custody since April 2021 on related charges in Maine and in Strafford County. He had an initial appearance on the federal charges on Tuesday will remain in custody pending resolution of his federal and state criminal matters.
According to an April 2021 affidavit written by North Berwick (Maine) Police Lt. Daniel Pelkey, the victim in a 2019 rape was just 13 when Crispin, who stands nearly 6-feet tall and 220 pounds, grabbed her by the arm, twisted her around and raped her from behind.
The victim, according to the affidavit, had said no multiple times to sexual advances made toward her by Crispin, formerly of North Berwick.
A copy of the affidavit obtained by The Rochester Voice lists two gross sex assault charges for sexual activity he is alleged to have had with the girl when she was 13 and 10 sex assault charges after she had turned 14.
Crispin, a military veteran employed at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard with "Secret Clearance," was under two sets of bail conditions for domestic violence at the time of the alleged rape in Spring 2019.
The crimes crossed state lines, according to Strafford County (NH) Deputy Attorney Emily Garod, who said some of the alleged offenses occurred in Somersworth and Rochester.
In all, some 38 indictments were filed against Crispin by a Strafford County grand jury in February.
Among them are three indictments that allege he engaged in a pattern of sexual abuse against the victim over a period of time. Each of those counts carry a 10-30 year prison term.
Crispin in also charged in New Hampshire with 11 counts of manufacturing child sex abuse images between July 2019 and March 2021 "in that he did knowing direct a visual representation of (victim) in sexually explicit conduct."
That conduct is alleged to have included stills and videos showing her genitals, and performing various sex acts on him or herself.
Each of those counts carry a prison sentence of from 15-30 years.
No affidavits were filed with the criminal complaints in New Hampshire, so there is no information available about the nature of the incidents in Somersworth and Rochester.
According to the Berwick Police affidavit, the investigation began after a Somersworth Schools resource officer learned on April 6, 2021, of a "disclosure about multiple sexual assaults." Crispin was arrested the next day and remanded to York County Jail on $50,000 bail.
Crispin's address is listed as Salmon Falls Estates on the Strafford County indictments.
He is currently being held on $50,000 cash bail at Cumberland County Jail in Portland, Maine.
The charges in the indictment are only allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proved guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The federal crimes were investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the New Hampshire Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Somersworth, NH Police Department, the Strafford County Sheriff's Office, the North Berwick, ME Police Department, and the Rochester, NH Police Department. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cam T. Le.
In February 2006, the Department of Justice introduced Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative designed to protect children from online exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorney's Offices, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.