A Plaza Middle School teacher, Richard Villigram, was charged in federal court on April 22 with attempted use of an interstate facility to entice a minor for illegal sexual activity and attempted receipt of child pornography.
Villigram, 43, from Kansas City, Missouri, is accused of engaging in online conversations over several days with an undercover law enforcement officer who posed as a 15-year-old. Authorities say Villigram arranged to meet the individual for sexual conduct and requested pornographic images. He was arrested on April 21 after arriving at the agreed location.
According to court documents, law enforcement found text messages on Villigram’s cell phone between him and the supposed minor. Additional messages were discovered where Villigram told another person he was attempting to meet someone for sexual contact. He later confirmed to officers that these messages referred to the purported minor.
Villigram is currently being held in federal custody pending a detention hearing scheduled for April 27. The U.S. Attorney’s Office said that charges are accusations only and evidence must be presented at trial before guilt or innocence is determined by a jury.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David Luna following an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Kansas City Police Department. This prosecution falls under Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at combating child exploitation and abuse.
The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Missouri supports community outreach programs addressing issues such as violent crime and drug trafficking according to its official website. The office operates out of Kansas City, Jefferson City, and Springfield according to its official website, handling federal prosecutions across 66 counties in western Missouri according to its official website. Its jurisdiction stretches from Iowa’s border southward to Arkansas and from Kansas eastward halfway across Missouri according to its official website. The office works closely with various law enforcement partners including federal, state, local, and tribal agencies according to its official website.
