New Jersey sex offender accused of downloading 42K child pornography files while on parole

Prosecutors in New Jersey claim a 32-year-old sex offender, while on parole, downloaded more that 42,000 files depicting children being sexually abused.

Rahvae Richards of Hackensack, who has been incarcerated since Feb. 9 for violating the conditions of a previous release, now faces further charges after investigators allegedly located tens of thousands of pornographic files on his electronic devices.

That search “revealed that Richards viewed, downloaded, and/or possessed a total of 42,142 items depicting nude and/or sexually explicit prepubescent and pubescent children,” Bergen County prosecutors announced in a Thursday press release.

Prosecutors said Richards — an inmate at Southwoods State Prison — has been served with a new warrant reflecting the most recent allegations against him.

He was arrested for sexually abusing a 14-year-old boy in 2014, according to NJ.com. Richards reportedly served more than three years in prison.

He also faced charges of distributing images of child exploitation, the Daily Voice reported in 2015.

New Jersey State Police records show Richards to be a “moderate risk” sex offender.