Richard Steve Goldberg
Encyclopedia
Richard Steven Goldberg (born November 9, 1945) is a convicted sex offender
and a former fugitive
who was added to the FBI
's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
list on June 14, 2002. Goldberg is the 474th fugitive to be placed
on the list. He was captured in Montreal
, Canada
on May 12, 2007, and subsequently convicted and sentenced to imprisonment of twenty years.
aerospace engineer
originally from Brooklyn
, New York
, became a babysitter in the Long Beach, California
area by gaining the trust of neighborhood parents and making his home attractive to children. Goldberg had several children's items such as computer games, children's music
, art supplies, swings, children's soap, and cages with rabbit
s and duck
s.
On May 11, 2001, two young girls playing on Goldberg's computer saw an image of two of their young friends naked with their neighbor. Authorities were alerted and an investigation was launched when six neighborhood children reported being sexually assaulted
by Goldberg. Police searched his home in June 2001 and seized his computer. Investigators discovered images of child pornography
on his computer, including photos of Goldberg himself, engaged in sex acts with children. Goldberg was arrested and he fled after $50,000 had been posted for his bail
.
In July 2001, a state arrest warrant
was issued in California charging Goldberg with six counts of lewd acts upon a child and two counts of possession of child pornography. Goldberg was subsequently charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in a federal arrest warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California
.
after leaving Long Beach. On July 26, 2001, he crossed the Canada–United States border, claiming to be on a business trip and using his U.S. passport
. Despite his status on the FBI's list, he was able to withdraw nearly $50,000 from his U.S. bank account to finance the six years he spent in hiding in Montreal
. Goldberg lived under the fictitious name Terry Wayne Kearns, backed by a Saskatchewan
birth certificate
, and was living off his savings and keeping a low profile. He was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 14, 2002. He was considered armed and extremely dangerous. The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Goldberg's capture.
Field Office and provided the information as to where Goldberg could be located. Agents with the FBI's Los Angeles Office then contacted the FBI's Legal Attaché stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, with details as to Goldberg's whereabouts. The FBI's Legal Attaché in Ottawa requested assistance from Canadian law enforcement authorities in Montreal. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP) and the Montreal Police Service (MPS) responded immediately and arrested Goldberg without incident at the address provided by the tipster.
After being a fugitive for six years, Goldberg was arrested by the RCMP and MPS for violating Canadian immigration
laws on May 12, 2007. On May 24, he was deported
from Canada back to the United States, where he was tried on both state and federal charges of child sexual abuse
and distribution of obscene material involving children.
Goldberg's lawyer, Jeffrey Boro, said his client was preparing to surrender himself days before his arrest. The lawyer suggested Goldberg's inquiries and requests for help made him easy to track down.
beyond belief."
Goldberg (Federal Bureau of Prisons
ID # 14321-052) is currently incarcerated in Federal Correctional Institution Medium in Petersburg, Virginia
. His projected release date is October 11, 2024.
Sex offender
A sex offender is a person who has committed a sex crime. What constitutes a sex crime differs by culture and by legal jurisdiction. Most jurisdictions compile their laws into sections such as traffic, assault, sexual, etc. The majority of convicted sex offenders have convictions for crimes of a...
and a former fugitive
Fugitive
A fugitive is a person who is fleeing from custody, whether it be from private slavery, a government arrest, government or non-government questioning, vigilante violence, or outraged private individuals...
who was added to the FBI
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives
The FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list arose from a conversation held in late 1949 between J. Edgar Hoover, Director of the United States Federal Bureau of Investigation, and William Kinsey Hutchinson, International News Service Editor-in-Chief, who were discussing ways to promote capture of the...
list on June 14, 2002. Goldberg is the 474th fugitive to be placed
FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives, 2000s
-FBI Headlines in the 2000s:The 2000s started out badly for the FBI's much needed attempts to upgrade technology. First, the Trilogy project went far over the $380 million budget, and behind its three-year schedule. Then, Virtual Case File, or VCF, planned for completion in 2003, was officially...
on the list. He was captured in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
on May 12, 2007, and subsequently convicted and sentenced to imprisonment of twenty years.
Child molestation accusations
In 2001, Goldberg, a former BoeingBoeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
aerospace engineer
Aerospace engineering
Aerospace engineering is the primary branch of engineering concerned with the design, construction and science of aircraft and spacecraft. It is divided into two major and overlapping branches: aeronautical engineering and astronautical engineering...
originally from Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, became a babysitter in the Long Beach, California
Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a city situated in Los Angeles County in Southern California, on the Pacific coast of the United States. The city is the 36th-largest city in the nation and the seventh-largest in California. As of 2010, its population was 462,257...
area by gaining the trust of neighborhood parents and making his home attractive to children. Goldberg had several children's items such as computer games, children's music
Children's music
Children's music is used here to refer to music composed and performed for children by adults. In European influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has historically held both entertainment...
, art supplies, swings, children's soap, and cages with rabbit
Rabbit
Rabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
s and duck
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
s.
On May 11, 2001, two young girls playing on Goldberg's computer saw an image of two of their young friends naked with their neighbor. Authorities were alerted and an investigation was launched when six neighborhood children reported being sexually assaulted
Sexual assault
Sexual assault is an assault of a sexual nature on another person, or any sexual act committed without consent. Although sexual assaults most frequently are by a man on a woman, it may involve any combination of two or more men, women and children....
by Goldberg. Police searched his home in June 2001 and seized his computer. Investigators discovered images of child pornography
Child pornography
Child pornography refers to images or films and, in some cases, writings depicting sexually explicit activities involving a child...
on his computer, including photos of Goldberg himself, engaged in sex acts with children. Goldberg was arrested and he fled after $50,000 had been posted for his bail
Bail
Traditionally, bail is some form of property deposited or pledged to a court to persuade it to release a suspect from jail, on the understanding that the suspect will return for trial or forfeit the bail...
.
In July 2001, a state arrest warrant
Arrest warrant
An arrest warrant is a warrant issued by and on behalf of the state, which authorizes the arrest and detention of an individual.-Canada:Arrest warrants are issued by a judge or justice of the peace under the Criminal Code of Canada....
was issued in California charging Goldberg with six counts of lewd acts upon a child and two counts of possession of child pornography. Goldberg was subsequently charged with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution in a federal arrest warrant issued by the United States District Court for the Central District of California
United States District Court for the Central District of California
The United States District Court for the Central District of California serves over 18 million people in southern and central California, making it the largest federal judicial district by population...
.
Fugitive
Goldberg visited his parents briefly in Rumson, New JerseyRumson, New Jersey
Rumson is a borough in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 7,122.Rumson was formed as a borough by an act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 15, 1907, from portions of Shrewsbury Township, based on the results of a...
after leaving Long Beach. On July 26, 2001, he crossed the Canada–United States border, claiming to be on a business trip and using his U.S. passport
Passport
A passport is a document, issued by a national government, which certifies, for the purpose of international travel, the identity and nationality of its holder. The elements of identity are name, date of birth, sex, and place of birth....
. Despite his status on the FBI's list, he was able to withdraw nearly $50,000 from his U.S. bank account to finance the six years he spent in hiding in Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
. Goldberg lived under the fictitious name Terry Wayne Kearns, backed by a Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....
birth certificate
Birth certificate
A birth certificate is a vital record that documents the birth of a child. The term "birth certificate" can refer to either the original document certifying the circumstances of the birth or to a certified copy of or representation of the ensuing registration of that birth...
, and was living off his savings and keeping a low profile. He was added to the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list on June 14, 2002. He was considered armed and extremely dangerous. The FBI offered a reward of up to $100,000 for information leading to Goldberg's capture.
Capture
In May 2007, Goldberg had been seeing a nonprofit counselor. He allegedly told the counselor he was an American fugitive, but the charges against him were "trumped up". The counselor had identified Goldberg as one of the FBI's Ten Most Wanted Fugitives and verified the outstanding arrest warrant for Goldberg by visiting the FBI's website, where Goldberg's photo and a description of his crimes were posted. He then contacted the FBI's Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Field Office and provided the information as to where Goldberg could be located. Agents with the FBI's Los Angeles Office then contacted the FBI's Legal Attaché stationed at the U.S. Embassy in Ottawa, Canada, with details as to Goldberg's whereabouts. The FBI's Legal Attaché in Ottawa requested assistance from Canadian law enforcement authorities in Montreal. Members of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP) and the Montreal Police Service (MPS) responded immediately and arrested Goldberg without incident at the address provided by the tipster.
After being a fugitive for six years, Goldberg was arrested by the RCMP and MPS for violating Canadian immigration
Immigration
Immigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
laws on May 12, 2007. On May 24, he was deported
Deportation
Deportation means the expulsion of a person or group of people from a place or country. Today it often refers to the expulsion of foreign nationals whereas the expulsion of nationals is called banishment, exile, or penal transportation...
from Canada back to the United States, where he was tried on both state and federal charges of child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse
Child sexual abuse is a form of child abuse in which an adult or older adolescent uses a child for sexual stimulation. Forms of child sexual abuse include asking or pressuring a child to engage in sexual activities , indecent exposure with intent to gratify their own sexual desires or to...
and distribution of obscene material involving children.
Goldberg's lawyer, Jeffrey Boro, said his client was preparing to surrender himself days before his arrest. The lawyer suggested Goldberg's inquiries and requests for help made him easy to track down.
Trial and conviction
On December 10, 2007, Goldberg pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of producing child pornography, and he was sentenced to 20 years in prison. At his sentencing, U.S. District Judge John Walter said: "Goldberg is a deeply disturbed individual with a lack of remorseRemorse
Remorse is an emotional expression of personal regret felt by a person after he or she has committed an act which they deem to be shameful, hurtful, or violent. Remorse is closely allied to guilt and self-directed resentment...
beyond belief."
Goldberg (Federal Bureau of Prisons
Federal Bureau of Prisons
The Federal Bureau of Prisons is a federal law enforcement agency subdivision of the United States Department of Justice and is responsible for the administration of the federal prison system. The system also handles prisoners who committed acts considered felonies under the District of Columbia's...
ID # 14321-052) is currently incarcerated in Federal Correctional Institution Medium in Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg, Virginia
Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...
. His projected release date is October 11, 2024.