An Alabama man was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison for producing child pornography.

Stephen Richey, 69, of Daphne, was sentenced to 210 months (17 and one-half years) in prison for production of child pornography. Richey pled guilty to the offense on January 12, 2023. The sentence was imposed by United States District Judge Terry F. Moorer.

According to court documents filed in connection with his guilty plea, in April 2022, after finding inappropriate pictures of herself on Richey’s cell phone, the victim contacted law enforcement and an investigation began.

The investigation revealed that Richey had taken numerous photographs of the victim. Based on the content of the images and age of the child depicted, these images constituted child pornography.

Following this discovery, Richey was interviewed by law enforcement and admitted that he had taken the images of the child.

Judge Moorer imposed a 210-month sentence of incarceration and a 25-year term of supervised release upon his discharge from prison.

Judge Moorer ordered that Richey pay $7,000 in restitution to the victim, $5,100 in special assessments, and $40,000 in fines. Richey will be required to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison and is to have no contact with minors.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Daphne Police Department investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorneys Kacey Chappelear, Beth Stepan and Tandice Blackwood prosecuted the case.