Man sentenced to 21 years in prison in Goodyear child sexual abuse case

A Valley man was sentenced to 21 years in prison and lifetime supervised probation for online sexual exploitation of minors, Maricopa County Attorney Rachel Mitchell announced Aug. 31.

Richard Billingsley pleaded guilty to one count of sexual exploitation of a minor pleaded guilty and two counts of attempted sexual exploitation of a minor.

Goodyear Police began the investigation in August 2025 after receiving a tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about a user who uploaded child sexual abuse material to Discord, an online messaging platform.

Police identified the user as Billingsley.

During a search of Billingsley’s devices, officers found more than 3,400 files containing child sexual abuse material, according to the Maricopa County Attorney’s Office.

Detectives also learned Billingsley groomed and coerced three minors over several months into sending sexually explicit photos and videos. The victims were 12 and 13 years old and lived in North Carolina, New Jersey and Texas.

“I commend the Goodyear Police Department for locating the victims and sex crimes prosecutor William Heydenreich for holding this defendant accountable,” Mitchell stated in a press release. “Thanks to their work, this predator was stopped before he could cause further harm.”

Mitchell also urged parents to talk with their children about online safety.

More information is available on MCAO’s Cyber Predators, Real Risks webpage.