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Raylin Richard Sentenced to 46 Months for Interstate Threats

A Rayne man was sentenced to 46 additional months in federal prison for sending threatening messages from prison to his former partner.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 8:53 a.m. ET
On August 6, 2026, United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr., 46-year-old Raylin Richard of Rayne to 46 months in federal prison for Interstate Communication with Threat to Injure, according to official court records from the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. The sentence, announced on August 10, 2026, under docket number , is set to run consecutive to a 17-year sentence Richard is currently serving. According to official court documents, Richard used a contraband cellphone while incarcerated at Oakdale Federal Correctional Institution in Louisiana to send threatening social-media messages and photos of her new residence to his former romantic partner. The victim had previously secured a lifetime protective order and moved to another state following Richard's prior conviction for secretly filming her 12-year-old daughter. Forensic review confirmed Richard had access to the social-media accounts, and messages between Richard and a former cellmate demonstrated threats of bodily harm if the victim reported him to police again. United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller stated, "Today’s age of social media, text messaging, and other forms of instant communication present a danger in the form of predators like this defendant using those means to terrorize and re-traumatize their victims, and this Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting that conduct alongside our federal and state law enforcement partners." Keller added that the sentence reflects the seriousness of terrorizing former victims. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, personnel at Oakdale Federal Correctional Institution, and state law enforcement, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott Cade Cassidy and Myers P. Namie alongside Paralegal Specialist Denise Duhon.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 12:53current

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