Richard Goldberg
Goldberg in 2001
Goldberg in 2001
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitive
AliasTerry Wayne Kearns
Description
Born (1945-11-09) November 9, 1945
Brooklyn, New York
Nationality United States
OccupationFormer engineer
Status
ConvictionsChild sexual abuse and possession of child pornography
Penalty20 years in prison
AddedJune 14, 2002
CaughtMay 12, 2007
Number474
Captured

Richard Steve Goldberg (born November 9, 1945) is a convicted sex offender and a former fugitive who was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 14, 2002. Goldberg is the 474th fugitive to be placed on the list. He was captured in Montreal, Canada on May 12, 2007, and subsequently convicted and sentenced to imprisonment of 20 years.

Child molestation accusations

In 2001, Goldberg, a former Boeing aerospace engineer originally from Brooklyn, New York, became a babysitter in the Long Beach, California, area by gaining the trust of neighborhood parents and making his home attractive to children. Goldberg had several children's items such as computer games, children's music, art supplies, swings, children's soap, and cages with rabbits and ducks.[1]

On May 11, 2001, two young girls playing on Goldberg's computer saw an image of two of their young friends naked with their neighbor. Authorities were alerted and an investigation was launched when six neighborhood children reported being sexually assaulted by Goldberg. Police searched his home in June 2001 and seized his computer. Investigators discovered images of child pornography on his computer, including photos of Goldberg himself, engaged in sex acts with children.[1] Goldberg was arrested, and he fled after $50,000 had been posted for his bail.[2]

In July 2001, a state arrest warrant was issued in California charging Goldberg with six counts of lewd acts upon a child and two counts of possession of child pornography. Goldberg was subsequently charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in a federal arrest warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California.[3]

Fugitive

Goldberg visited his parents briefly in Rumson, New Jersey after leaving Long Beach.[1] On July 26, 2001, he crossed the Canada–United States border, claiming to be on a business trip and using his U.S. passport. Despite his status on the FBI's list, he was able to withdraw nearly $50,000 from his U.S. bank account to finance the six years he spent in hiding in Montreal.[4] Goldberg lived under the fictitious name Terry Wayne Kearns, backed by a Saskatchewan birth certificate,[2] and was living off his savings and keeping a low profile.[5] He was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 14, 2002. He was considered armed and extremely dangerous. The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Goldberg's capture.

Capture

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In May 2007, Goldberg had been seeing a nonprofit counselor. He allegedly told the counselor he was an American fugitive, but the charges against him were "trumped up".[6] The counselor had identified Goldberg as one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and verified the outstanding arrest warrant for Goldberg by visiting the FBI's website, where Goldberg's photo and a description of his crimes were posted.[7] He then told the FBI's Los Angeles Field Office where Goldberg was. Agents at the Los Angeles Office sent the information to the FBI's legal attaché at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada. The Attaché sought help from Canadian law enforcement authorities in Montreal. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Montreal Police Service (MPS) responded immediately and arrested Goldberg without incident at the address provided by the tipster.[8]

After being a fugitive for six years, Goldberg was arrested by the RCMP and MPS for violating Canadian immigration laws on May 12, 2007. On May 24, he was deported from Canada to the United States, where he was tried on both state and federal charges of child sexual abuse and distribution of obscene material involving children.[9]

Goldberg's lawyer, Jeffrey Boro, said his client was preparing to surrender himself days before his arrest. The lawyer suggested that Goldberg's inquiries and requests for help made him easy to track down.[5]

Trial and conviction

On December 10, 2007, Goldberg pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of producing child pornography, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison.[7][10] At his sentencing, U.S. District Judge John Walter said: "Goldberg is a deeply disturbed individual with a lack of remorse beyond belief."[7]

Goldberg was incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution, Fort Dix, a low-security federal prison in Burlington County, New Jersey and was later transferred to Federal Medical Center, Devens. His projected release date is May 24, 2024.[11]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Richard Goldberg - Overview (HTML) America's Most Wanted. Retrieved on 2008-10-04
  2. 1 2 Molestation suspect to be deported. 'It's not like he's a serial killer,' lawyer says (HTML) The Gazette. Retrieved on 2008-10-04 Archived September 8, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  3. ↑ "Federal Bureau of Investigation - Press Release". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  4. ↑ "Suspected pedophile ordered deported". The Montreal Gazette. Archived from the original on September 8, 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  5. 1 2 "Arrested pedophile suspect wanted by FBI was about to turn himself in, lawyer says". Montreal Gazette. May 14, 2007. Archived from the original on November 5, 2012. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Tip snares alleged child molester on FBI top 10 list". CNN. May 13, 2010. Retrieved July 13, 2010.
  7. 1 2 3 Richard Goldberg - Capture (HTML) America's Most Wanted. Retrieved on 2008-10-04
  8. ↑ "FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitive, Richard Steve Goldberg, arrested in Canada after tip called in to FBI Los Angeles". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  9. ↑ CTV.ca staff (May 13, 2007). "FBI 'most wanted' fugitive arrested in Montreal". CTV News. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved 2010-07-13.
  10. ↑ "Innocent Images National Initiative and Online Child Pornography Program". Federal Bureau of Investigation. Archived from the original on 2008-07-09. Retrieved 2008-10-04.
  11. ↑ "Inmate Locator". Federal Bureau of Prisons. Retrieved 2023-09-15.
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