BANGOR, Maine — A local lawyer and businessman was indicted Wednesday by the Penobscot County grand jury after child pornography was found on his home computers, according to the Penobscot County district attorney’s office.
Richard Violette, 53, of Bangor was indicted on one count of possession of sexually explicit materials.
An arraignment date has not been set.
Efforts on Thursday to reach Violette or an attorney representing him were unsuccessful.
Police seized Violette’s computers from his Broadway home in mid-April after another law enforcement agency informed Bangor detectives that child pornography depicting known victims had been downloaded to an IP address assigned to Violette, Michael Roberts, deputy district attorney for Penobscot County, said Thursday.
Stills and videos depicting children under the age of 12 were found on all three of Violette’s computers, the prosecutor said. Fewer than 100 images were found, Roberts estimated.
No evidence was found that Violette produced the images or used them to meet children online or in person, Roberts said.
Violette’s law practice appears to be low-key. He is not listed in the 2012-2013 Bangor-area phone book under the business section of the White Pages. He also is not listed in the Yellow Pages under lawyers and does not appear to have a website.
Earlier this year, he represented his brother Daniel Violette after he was fired as Public Works Department director in East Millinocket, according to Bangor Daily News archives. The lawyer also acted as a consultant to Medway selectmen in February when they were hiring a new fire chief.
Richard Violette also worked as a property manager, according to Roberts.
Possession of sexually explicit materials is a Class C felony. If convicted, Violette faces up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000.
He also could face disciplinary proceedings before the Maine Board of Overseers of the Bar.
What about the one at city hall in the spring of 2007. Whats up with this and why are they not coming forward on what happen at city hall. PD knows the answer.
????
please give us more…..
Ask the retired chief of police he knows what happen or the city manager at the time they all know what went on. Just ask around city hall or one of the city departments some of them may tell what happened.
You’ve already gone this far, why don’t you just tell everybody?
Still nothing
It seems like the BDN would dig into it and tell us the real story.
School and/or town attorney in multiple locations if I remember correctly.
Anyone surprised it’s a lawyer?
Unfortunately child molesters come from all walks of life. But just because a lawyer has an ethical obligation to defend slimeballs does not mean he has to be like his clients.
Agreed.
NO
“Fewer than 100 images were found, Roberts estimated.” I don’t care if it was only one image…he deserves to be jailed for a very long time. There’s no excuse for the perversion of children anywhere…disgraceful.
He might deserve it, but he won’t be. If he gets the entire 5 years I will be surprised.
I have never knowingly looked at child porn . That being said the porn industry has been filled with under age women so most people who have watch porn have watched child porn maybe not knowingly . The real question is where do you draw the line or do we lock up half the population of the united states? A 18 year old have a 16 year old GF legal in Maine but if she text him a naked pic he is now a pedophile? Laws need judgement behind them . I wonder who many are registered sex offenders because there girl friends birth day is just a few days off from being perfectly legal? Not everything is black and with as it seems.
If you have to question the age of the people in the image or video, play it safe and avoid it.
I agree but there is a BIG difference in looks of a 12yr old vs an 18yr old just sayin
Not 16 and 18 I think I read a lot of the stars from the 80s were not 18 at the time.
http://www.maine.gov/tools/whatsnew/attach.php?id=315587&an=1
Sorta makes you look at this report entirely differently, doesn’t it?? “In 1988, the relationship ended.”” ???????
So what else was going on ?
That legal documents makes it look like a victim being empowered to act when he figured out just how far to go to get even without being shamed by having to testify in open court.
The unspoken details seem obvious based on the known pattern of the behavior of sexual predators.
Too bad more victims don’t get that option.
NO way I agree with your analysis. The bar report makes it sound like Violette’s only sin was giving the youth alcohol. Makes you wonder if a report was made to local law enforcement. THAT would have been the proper thing to do. How can lawyers REALLY investigate other lawyers? Isn’t this just more cover up a la Bob Carlson? Where was the investigation to see exactly what KIND of relationship VIolette had with this youth and his twin? And really, a public reprimand? That’s it? That is the sole consequence for what may have been a sexual crime? ANd remember, according to the report, Violette insisted on a public hearing. Maybe HE “shamed” the victim into silence. Remember, this was 1988, and we were in the midst of gay angst and AIDS fear…
Sounds like a predator to me. Befriend the family, pick the easier target, get close, show a deep interest, gain trust of all involved, start taking the youth on unsupervised trips, introduce alcohol, and finally violate all trust and destroy a life. Hang him high.
Geeezz! It seems one of these guys just pops up every day, doesn’t it? How many of them are out there? I wish the courts would take these crimes more seriously by doling out sentences that are at least twice as long as it would take the perpetrator’s youngest victim to reach age 30. If that doesn’t fix them (and it won’t), it would at least guarantee they’d come as old men (and women).
There are tons of these predators out there, especially in Maine. The sentences, though, will continue to be token 30/60/90 day ones until we learn to value our children in this state. Two things might change that:
1. Mandatory sentencing, which is nonexistent here now.
2.Strong voter support for prison bond issues. We need to stop w/this crazy “I’m not going to vote to spend my money on them so they can have wide screen tvs” and realize that these bonds create more housing for these criminals. More housing means longer sentences. Longer sentences means society is protected for longer than 30 days.
Federal courts don’t even have mandatory sentencing any longer so I doubt we will see it ever at the state level.
I got sidetracked there, Kevin. You’re correct. I was thinking of the act of sexual abuse toward a child, not the possession of child porn. Guess the later, though, is only a step away from the former.
Take a walk by Pickle Park, Valley Ave or Cascade Park…. I’m told you’ll find lots of them there!
He will get 60 days and 2 years probation. He was doing lifelong research for a book he is writing on the subject.
Having any form of kiddie porn does not make it excusable. He of all people would know this plus the ramifications of if caught. In view of what is shown, he thought he would not get caught. Thankfully it was caught before it manifested into some thing worse like actions.
I was just making up a defense for him. your right not excusable
pushtheredbutton I like and appreciate the sarcasm!
I knew this guy from way back when he worked his summers in the mill while in college. I am not surprised.
nobody is.
I’m guessing he’ll get a $100 fine and 1 year probation. Maine welcomes these degenerates with open arms and soft sentences.
i had this guy as a lawyer some years back and i just had this feeling that he was way too friendly….creepy friendly.
Hey BDN, how about putting his picture on the wall of shame,so everyone can see what he looks like.
5 years for possession of that much child porn? That’s a crime itself. These sick pedophiles need to go away for a looooong time.
Or be buried in a shallow grave.
can someone direct me to a picture of this guy. There must be something out there
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=tn_tnmn#!/rick.violette.50?fref=ts
he’s my landlord…..not sure for how long now though. feel like vomiting.
Hope you don’t have kids!
i have a three month old. seriously considering moving
That picture posted on 10/31 seems ill-timed.
I should think so…my word.
“People” like this never “get better” or change. Especially as a lawyer, he knew full well the consequences of his actions and it did not deter him. Laws need to change to protect children. It’s sad when one can get more punishment for illegally shooting a deer or moose than victimizing children. These animals need to be locked up. Even if he was “only” caught with images on his computer, he most likely has done more than just look and by downloading the images he is contributing to the abuse of a child. Consequences for these sick people – from those downloading all the way down the line to those taking the pictures should be severe and unwavering.
the last year maine has been ‘classy’
1. Rev Bob from Husson was a pederast
2. Maine has double the sexual assaults in prisons than the national average – waiting for bubba myself
3. Alexis Wright/Zumba where do I start with that? I don’t even know what Zumba is – but you can view 26 of her videos on a file sharing site – some of them with men who may be on the John’s List.
4. Boy Scout Leaders molesting boy scouts
5. Karate instructor in lewiston molested a boy
6. Randall Flagg fills BDN comments with unintelligible troll drivel
And most to all of them were heterosexual, white, males. But lets keep the homosexuals out….
Bob was gay….
Don’t forget the bjbaseball guy Bob Joubert
http://www.pressherald.com/news/Youth-baseball-coach-in-York-faces-sex-abuse-charges-in-New-Hampshire.html
Well lets see, this has been going on for years guess mommy and daddy can’t buy his way out of this one like they have in the past. This does bring up several concerns, the fact he WAS involves with the boy scouts, representing children as a lawyer and lives near a school. You can’t tell me that there are not layers of things that have gone on since 1986 til now. I hope that they look into this deeply and disclose all his secrets. My heart aches for the children that may have been involved as well as there families, im sure that they felt intimidated by his position. When this is all said and done I hope they pick the judge carefully cause it is well know his rubs elbows with a few. Ethical obligation is an option who knew grrrrr
You’re a creep, tried to run down your home town in the press! All the time knowing that someone took your computers! Sent your sister inlaw out to get signatures for a petition. Bet daddy can’t wait to get to Florida. Ahhh bet the campfire stories are good around the campgrounds of Maine now!
His brother admitted he had taken things from the town where he worked. Richard tried to get him off on a technicality. Stealing is stealing period! As far as he is concerned from what I know of him is has always been shady.Now this sheds more light on this guy. I truly hope that he gets the maximum sentence but everyone in the state of Maine knows this won’t happen. Please judge give him the max.
I agree all we can hope for is that the judge is not his buddy and trust me I know for a fact he is in “tight” with one and they work together is making sure that they come out on top.
Broadway has a bunch of schools on it. Scary.
Guess we know how he’s going to VOTE on question #1!
Clue me in, ’cause I don’t know. Are you somehow connecting SSM to child porn? Don’t you suppose that most purveyors of porn are hetero?
So is this the same Rick Violette who was town attorney for Bar Harbor and a boy scout leader in I think Veazie or Old Town in the 80s? I didn’t think he could be that young but the photo linked to in the comments below looks like him.
He was Veazie’s municipal attorney for a number of years. Had a lot of support from long time council member (and candidate for Maine Senate District 30), Rod Hathaway. I hear citizens in Veazie often wondered why he was the town attorney. Maybe someone should ask the candidate.
One count? Shouldn’t it be one count for every image?
I like the use of “low-key” to describe his legal practice. Veazie severed theirprofessional relationship with him in 2010 I think and from what I hear townspeople were happy about that.