Richard Leaf
Originally Lied and Said it Was a Virus; Faces 14 Years
By Dan Murphy
When Richard Leaf was first arrested by the FBI in 2021 for possession of child pornography on computer, he lied and said he was hacked. When we contacted a computer expert last year, he said that he was 99.9% sure that Leaf was lying.
Two years later, in a Federal Courtroom, Leaf admitted to having “engaged in deeply disturbing sexual communications with minors and being in possession of child pornography.”
Leaf was busted posing as a teenager on Skype and Chat Avenue, an online chat room. Leaf believed that he was chatting with a 15-year-old, but was chatting with law enforcement, and used multiple accounts to try and find underage victims. He also admitted that he had received child pornography.
When asked to view the contents of his computer by the FBI in 2020, Leaf said yes in an attempt to clear his name. But Federal agents discovered a video of a naked 15-year-old boy and other pornographic images.
Leaf was arrested in February 2021 and court records revealed he had posed as a teenager in the online chat room, Chat Avenue, as well as on Skype. When he allowed FBI agents to view his computer during the investigation in 2020, they discovered multiple pornographic images, including a video of a naked 15-year-old boy who was communicating with Leaf. He was caught sending a video of himself in the shower masturbating to a 15-year-old boy.
Leaf said at the time of his arrest that he didn’t know how the pornography had gotten on his computer and suggested he had been hacked. But he acknowledged there was “some truth” to the allegations that he had posed online as a teenager.
The required sentence for receiving child pornography is a minimum of 5 years. Federal sentencing guidelines for all of Leaf’s crimes call for 14-17 years. A Judge could have leniency on Leaf before he has no criminal history when he is sentenced in Jan. 2024.
Leaf, 75, is a resident of Somers and remains free on $100,000 bail. Leaf was the sports announcer at the Westchester County Center for many years, and also announced Iona sports events in the past. Because of this history, he was honored as a member of the Westchester County Sports Hall of Fame.
Last week, Westchester County Executive George Latimer and Board of Legislators Chair Vedat Gashi said that measures were underway to remove Leaf from the Hall of Fame. Latimer pointed out that Leaf has now admitted the crimes he was accused of in Federal Court.
