Fifteen years ago, I never thought I would be writing about Richard Alan Chaney again. Yet here we are, and his latest arrest does not feel like a redemption story. It feels like proof that his crimes were never isolated incidents but part of a continuing pattern.

Stickam was a short-lived live video website that existed before platforms like TikTok or Instagram Live. It launched in 2005 and shut down in 2013. For a few years, it was a gathering place for musicians, emo teens, and anyone curious about broadcasting themselves to the world. It was also poorly moderated, which made it a dangerous space for young users. Among those who used it for predatory purposes was a man from Costa Mesa, California, named Richard Alan Chaney.

In 2009, Chaney was arrested after investigators discovered that he had assaulted two teenage girls he met through Stickam and MySpace. One was fourteen years old and the other seventeen. The older girl was unconscious during the assault. Chaney recorded both incidents on video. In 2010, he pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges, including assaulting a minor under sixteen and assault of an unconscious person. He was sentenced to nine years in a California state prison and required to register as a sex offender. A rape charge was dismissed as part of a plea deal. At the time, nine years seemed too short for the severity of his crimes.

Now, fifteen years later, Chaney is facing federal sentencing in Hawaii for another offense. According to investigators, he used Instagram to communicate with a thirteen-year-old girl in Phoenix during late 2023. Through that contact, he solicited and received CSAM from her. When federal agents searched his phones, they found 262 CSAM files, including images involving very young children, as well as an additional 1.57 terabytes of material that he had collected and shared with others. In total, there were close to 200,000 files of exploitative content. He pleaded guilty to a single count of distribution of CSAM in April 2025 and will be sentenced soon.

His defense attorney claims that Chaney’s behavior stems from a traumatic childhood. Court filings describe a life marked by addiction, poverty, and emotional neglect. Both of his parents were said to be addicted to methamphetamine, and he grew up surrounded by conflict and instability. After serving his first prison sentence, he returned to Wahiawa and joined a church that worked with the homeless. He reconnected with his parents and later cared for his mother through a long illness. After her death, his lawyer says, he lost his sense of purpose and reverted to criminal behavior.

While his attorney portrays him as a broken man who lost his way, I see a repeat offender who has never truly taken responsibility. Many people endure hardship and addiction in their families without turning to this kind of exploitation. Chaney’s crimes do not reflect grief or relapse but a pattern of learned behavior that he never unlearned.

He told the court that he feels disgust and shame for his actions. He wrote that he is sorry for what he has done. To me, that does not sound like genuine remorse. It sounds like someone who is only sorry that he got caught again.

(Source)

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