Bay Area wine steward who persuaded girls to ‘produce and send him child pornography’ sentenced to 5 years

SAN FRANCISCO — A Sausalito man who pleaded guilty to receiving child pornography in what prosecutors described as a scheme to elicit lewd images and videos from teen girls was sentenced to five years in federal prison, records show.

Nicholas Richars, 35, was sentenced last month by U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer and must report to the Bureau of Prisons by next Jan. 10, according to court records. Prosecutors say Richars victimized seven girls, sometimes posing as a teen, to coerce them to send him nude or sexually explicit images of themselves on social media applications like Snapchat.

“There can be no doubt that the defendant manipulated multiple young women, all for his own personal sexual gratification,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Bisesto wrote in a sentencing memo arguing for a nine-year prison term. “The most relevant factor in this Court’s determination should be the severe emotional impact these minor victims have suffered as a result of the defendant’s conduct. The defendant should be punished accordingly.”

Richars had built a successful career as a wine steward in the wine and restaurant industry, but had a secret life online, he wrote in an apology letter to the court. He said it all came “crashing down” around him when he was arrested, and that he sought therapy. He wrote that he will “carry a burden” for the rest of his life.

“I hurt so many around me: those with whom I engaged in online sexual acts, their families, those tasked with investigating my crime, my community, my colleagues who looked up to me, my friends, and my family,” Richars wrote. “I felt alone and afraid. I knew I needed help.”