Gilmer County Man Indicted on 100+ Child Sex Exploitation Counts

DECATUR, GA – A Gilmer County man, Ronald Richardson, 47, has been indicted on an additional 120 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children, bringing the total number of charges against him to 196. These new charges stem from an ongoing investigation revealing that Richardson allegedly used Artificial Intelligence (AI) to manipulate ordinary photographs into child sex abuse material (CSAM).

A Gilmer County Grand Jury issued the updated indictment on Tuesday, July 8, 2025, and it was officially filed on Friday, July 11, 2025. Richardson was initially indicted on April 16, 2025, on 76 counts of Sexual Exploitation of Children. The Office of the DeKalb County District Attorney, serving as conflict prosecutor for the case, presented new evidence to the Grand Jury, leading to the additional 44 charges and representing more than 100 victims from within and outside the state.

Richardson was arrested by deputies with the Gilmer County Sheriff’s Office on January 17, 2025, following an extensive investigation. He has remained in custody since his arrest.

Richardson will now be scheduled for an arraignment on the charges in the updated indictment. The investigation into Defendant Richardson remains active and ongoing.