Westchester Sports Hall of Famer Charged with Possessing Child Porn
Westchester Sports Hall of Fame inductee Richard Leaf could spend up to 30 years in prison after he was arrested Wednesday morning for possessing videos and images containing child pornography.
Leaf, a 72-year-old Somers resident, who is also known as “The Voice of the Westchester County Center,” was charged in White Plains federal court with one count of receiving child pornography, which carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 5 years in prison and maximum sentence of 20 years, and one count of possessing child pornography.
That latter charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, according to the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York
“Richard Leaf is alleged to have engaged in deeply disturbing sexual communications with minors, and in being in possession of child pornography,” U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said. “Child pornography inflicts immeasurable damage upon innocent victims, and this Office and our FBI partners will continue to exhaustively detect, identify, and charge any individuals engaged in this sinister conduct.”
Between March 2019 and April 2020, Leaf posed as a teenager named Alex Bronson to communicate via Skype with a minor, who Leaf believed was 15 years old, officials said. During these conversations, the minor sent Leaf a video of himself masturbating in the shower and a fully nude photo of himself in the bedroom.
In addition, law enforcement officers uncovered almost a dozen images and videos containing child pornography on Leaf’s home computer.
Officials said that Leaf also created fictitious accounts on Chat Avenue, an online chatroom website, and Skype to communicate with minors. The username of some of Leaf’s fictitious accounts include:
- alex bronson
- 15
- alex15
- 15brandon
- 914
- 14
- austinf19
- 914
- williams.23
- dan77771
- 7
- Austin A
“As our society continues to become more reliant on technology, more of our children are exposed to the most despicable predators – those searching out young to sexually exploit them,” FBI Assistant Director William F. Sweeney Jr. said. “As we allege in this case, Mr. Leaf used Skype to chat with his victims, I’d like to stress to parents that although these contacts may occur in a virtual world, they harm your children in the real world.”
He added that predators inflict lasting damage to their victims, and both parents and guardians need to be aware of the dangers their children face.
Leaf had been the announcer for the Section 1 boys and girls basketball tournaments for nearly 40 years. He was also the announcer for Iona College men’s and women’s basketball, Scarsdale and Mamaroneck basketball, and numerous tournaments.
In addition, he officiated youth soccer dating back to 1981 and had previously served as president of the Westchester-Putnam Approved Soccer Officials Association.
Strauss praised the efforts of the FBI and its Westchester County Safe Streets Task Force. She added that the investigation is ongoing. The case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division and Assistant United States Attorney Jennifer Ong is overseeing the prosecution.
If you have information to report or if you interacted or sent under-aged photos or videos of a sexual nature to any of the above accounts, please contact the Federal Bureau of Investigation at 1-800-CALL-FBI.
