Former Manassas Teacher Sentenced to 25 Years for Child Pornography

Kevin Garfield Ricks, 51, of Federalsburg, Md., was sentenced to 25 years in prison today for producing and possessing child pornography over a 17-year period. 

The former teacher also received a lifetime of supervised release following his sentence.

Officials with the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia, the FBI’s Washington Field Office and Manassas City Police Chief Douglas W. Keen made the announcement after the plea was accepted by United States District Judge James C. Cacheris.

“In his journals, Kevin Ricks calls himself the devil, a molester so depraved that he is beyond rehabilitation and said that his soul was corrupt,” said U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride. 

“Mr. Ricks was every parent’s worst nightmare: a master manipulator child predator who sexually abused while leading a double life as a beloved teacher and counselor more than three decades. There is no question that his pattern of abuse would have continued if it weren’t for the heroic intervention of a concerned parent and the tremendous efforts of the Manassas City Police Department and the FBI in bringing him to justice," he added.

The assistant director for the FBI’s Washington Field Office, James W. McJunkin said that while they are not pleased with the sentence, the case does shed light on how this predator and  others like him are able to skillfully manipulate their victims. 

“We urge parents and others to be more vigilant in protecting our most innocent of citizens, our children. It’s easy sometimes not to hear or believe our children because their statements are too vague or too few," McJunkin said. "We in the law enforcement community commit to work harder, better and faster to protect those who cannot protect themselves."

An initial investigation by Manassas City Police and the resulting arrest of Mr. Ricks ucovered evidence and additional victims, both nationally and internationlly. 

“With the cooperation of the FBI, U.S. Attorney’s Office and the Manassas City Police Department; a joint investigation was opened and we were able to take a career child predator off the street and help prevent other innocent lives from being taken advantage of," Chief Keen said.

Ricks pled guilty to six counts of production of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography back in March. It was recommended as part of a plea agreement that Ricks be sentenced to 25 years in prison.

As part of the plea agreement, four other federal jurisdictions have relinquished jurisdiction over their child pornography offenses, which occurred between 1994 and 2010. 

Ricks began teaching at in Manassas in 2007,  spending the weekends at his home in Federalsburg.

Two years later, Ricks engaged in sexually explicit conduct with a 16-year-old former student after getting the boy drunk with beer and approximately 10 shots of tequila.

 He was arrested in Feb. 2010 by the Manassas City Police and pled guilty to state charges of indecent liberties and received a sentence of five years with four suspended.

Ricks admitted to engaging in illegal sexual contact with several juvenile males for  more than three decades and included students from Virginia to North Carolina, and all the way to Japan.

His youngest victim was an 11-year-old boy and the oldest was 17, according to officials. In almost all of the incidents, Ricks admitted to using large amounts of alcohol to get the victims to pass out before engaging in the criminal acts.

 Information from: United States Attorney’s Office