Tampa, Florida – Richard Plummer (45, Tampa) has been sentenced by U.S. District Judge Steven D. Merryday to more than 27 years in federal prison for distribution and possession of child sex abuse material (CSAM) and escape. Plummer pleaded guilty on May 11, 2026. United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe made the announcement. According to court documents, in 2018, Plummer was convicted of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and sentenced to ten years’ imprisonment in the Middle District of Florida. In October 2025, while serving his prison sentence at the Tampa Residential Re-Entry Center, law enforcement discovered Plummer in possession of a cellphone containing CSAM. Further examination of the phone revealed Plummer had distributed and possessed CSAM. During the investigation, on November 1, 2025, Plummer escaped from the re-entry facility where he was serving the sentence imposed in his 2018 case. This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Tampa Police Department. It was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Courtney Derry.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.justice.gov/psc.