LAFAYETTE – On August 6, 2026, United States District Judge James D. Cain, Jr., sentenced Raylin Richard, 46, of Rayne, to 46 months in federal prison for Interstate Communication with Threat to Injure, to run consecutive to a 17-year sentence he is currently serving.“Today’s age of social media, text messaging, and other forms of instant communication present a danger in the form of predators like this defendant using those means to terrorize and re-traumatize their victims, and this Office is committed to investigating and prosecuting that conduct alongside our federal and state law enforcement partners,” said United States Attorney Zachary A. Keller. “Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of this defendant’s conduct—a convicted sex offender terrorizing his former victims—and the fact that our community simply will not tolerate it.”According to court documents, Richard is currently serving a 17-year sentence for a prior child‑exploitation offense that involved secretly filming a 12-year-old girl, the daughter of his former romantic partner. After that conviction, the former partner secured a lifetime protective order against Richard and moved with her family to another state. While housed at Oakdale Federal Correctional Institution in Louisiana, Richard used a contraband cellphone to send threatening social‑media messages to the woman, which included threatening statements and photos of her new residence. A forensic review of the seized cellphone confirmed Richard’s access to the accounts used to send the threats. Investigators also found messages between Richard and a former cellmate which proved Richard’s anger toward the victim, and which corroborated his involvement in the hostile communications. In the messages, Richard threatened bodily harm to the woman if she ever reported him to the police again.U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.This case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, personnel at Oakdale Federal Correctional Institution, and law enforcement officials in the state where the victim moved. It was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott Cade Cassidy and Myers P. Namie, with assistance from Paralegal Specialist Denise Duhon.You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana at www.justice.gov/usao-wdla.Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Western District of Louisiana at www.lawd.uscourts.gov or at https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/cmecf-pacer, under Case Number 2:25-cr-00318.###Public AffairsUnited States Attorney’s OfficeWestern District of LouisianaUSALAW-News@usdoj.govwww.justice.gov/usao-wdlaTwitter @USAO_WDLA
Source: U.S. Department of Justice