Registered Sex Offender Sentenced for Possession of Child Pornography

GREENSBORO - A 42-year-old Asheboro man was sentenced today to 120 months in prison after pleading guilty to one count of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Sandra J. Hairston of the Middle District of North Carolina (MDNC).

According to court records, investigators following a cybertip found that in October 2022, a video of child pornography was distributed by an IP address associated with RICHARD WILSON ADKINS, JR., a sex offender registered in Randolph County. In December 2022, the Randolph County Sheriff's Office (RCSO) arrested ADKINS. Subsequent forensic analysis of ADKINS' personal cell phone and a media platform used by ADKINS revealed more than 1,700 image files and nearly 2,000 video files of child pornography.

United States District Court Judge Thomas D. Schroeder sentenced ADKINS to a 120-month term of imprisonment followed by 10 years of supervised release. In addition, ADKINS was ordered to pay restitution totaling $98,000.00 and special assessments totaling $1,100.00. He pleaded guilty to one count of possession of child pornography on December 6, 2023.

The case was investigated by the Randolph County Sheriff's Office, the Department of Homeland Security-Investigations, and the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigations. The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney K. P. Kennedy Gates.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by United States Attorney's Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), 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 to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

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