Seventy-Five Year Old Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Child Pornography

Fort Lauderdale, Florida – Today before a federal judge, Frank Richard Beyer (a/k/a “Rick Beyer”), 75, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, pled guilty to possessing child pornography that included images of boys under age 12 engaged in sex acts and exposing their genitals.    

Ariana Fajardo Orshan, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and George L. Piro, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office, made the announcement.

According to court records, law enforcement received multiple cyber tips that an on-line user had uploaded child pornography to internet platforms. The cybertips included an email address that led law enforcement officers to Beyer. On November 20, 2019, officers executed a search warrant at Beyer’s home.  During the search, law enforcement found external digital storage devices that contained multiple images and videos of children (some under age 12) engaging in explicit sexual conduct with other children or adults. 

Beyer’s sentencing is scheduled for May 18, 2020, at 10:00 a.m. before United States District Judge Rodolfo Ruiz in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  Beyer faces up to 20 years in prison.

U.S. Attorney Fajardo Orshan commended the investigative efforts of the FBI, Broward County Sheriff’s Office, and Homeland Security Investigations. Assistant U.S. Attorney Ajay Alexander is prosecuting this case.  

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice.  Led by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to better locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the Internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.projectsafechildhood.gov.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.