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Hardin Man Sentenced to Over 4 Years in Federal Child Pornography Case

Michael Allen Richardson, 31, was sentenced to four years and nine months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography.

4 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 10:29 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 24, 2026, 9:22 a.m. ET
A Hardin man was on August 13, 2026, to four years and nine months in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana. Michael Allen Richardson, 31, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possessing child pornography. He was also ordered to pay $10,100 in special assessments. The government alleged in court documents that a cyber tip in July 2022 alerted authorities that Richardson, who was living in Hardin, had downloaded a video depicting a child under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Richardson's email and learned that multiple images and videos had been deleted prior to the search. A former roommate told investigators she once saw Richardson watching child sexual abuse material on a mobile tablet. The FBI conducted the investigation. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. U.S. District Judge William M. Mercer presided, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case.

Earlier reports

  1. Aug 24, 2026, 9:01 a.m. ET

    Hardin Man Sentenced to Over 4 Years in Federal Child Pornography Case

    A Hardin man was sentenced on August 13, 2026, to four years and nine months in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana. Michael Allen Richardson, 31, was also ordered to pay $10,100 in special assessments.

    Richardson pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possessing child pornography. The government alleged in court documents that a cyber tip in July 2022 alerted authorities that Richardson, who was living in Hardin, had downloaded a video depicting a child under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Richardson's email and learned that multiple images and videos had been deleted prior to the search. A former roommate told investigators she once saw Richardson watching child sexual abuse material on a mobile tablet.

    The FBI conducted the investigation. The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse. Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith announced the sentence; U.S. District Judge William M. Mercer presided. Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case.

  2. Aug 24, 2026, 8:56 a.m. ET

    Hardin Man Sentenced to Over 4 Years in Federal Child Pornography Case

    A Hardin man was sentenced on August 13, 2026, to four years and nine months in prison, followed by eight years of supervised release, for possessing child pornography, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith announced. The sentence was handed down in U.S. District Court in Montana.

    Michael Allen Richardson, 31, pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possessing child pornography. He was also ordered to pay $10,100 in special assessments. The case was investigated by the FBI and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus.

    According to court documents, a cyber tip in July 2022 alerted authorities that Richardson, then living in Hardin, had downloaded a video depicting a child under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators obtained a search warrant for his email and found that multiple images and videos had been deleted prior to the search. A former roommate told investigators she once saw Richardson watching child sexual abuse material on a mobile tablet.

    The case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006 to combat child sexual exploitation and abuse.

  3. Aug 20, 2026, 10:29 a.m. ETFirst report

    Hardin Man Sentenced to Over 4 Years in Federal Child Pornography Case

    On Aug. 13, 2026, 36-year-old Hardin resident Randall Allen Flatlip was sentenced in U.S. District Court to four years and nine months in prison followed by eight years of supervised release, according to an official release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Montana. Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith announced the sentence, noting that Flatlip was also ordered to pay $10,100 in special assessments. Flatlip pleaded guilty in April 2026 to one count of possessing child pornography in a proceeding before U.S. District Judge William M. Mercer. Official court records state that a cyber tip in July 2022 alerted authorities that Flatlip had downloaded a video depicting a child under 12 engaged in sexually explicit conduct. Investigators obtained a search warrant for Flatlip's email, where they found multiple images and videos deleted prior to the search, and interviewed a former roommate who reported seeing him watch Child Sexual Abuse Material on a mobile tablet. The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Zeno Baucus prosecuted the case. The prosecution was brought under Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative launched in May 2006.

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Revision history

  1. Version 124 Aug 2026, 13:01current

    First published.

  2. Version 120 Aug 2026, 14:29current

    First published.

  3. Version 124 Aug 2026, 13:22current

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  4. Version 124 Aug 2026, 12:56current

    First published.

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