Seattle man convicted of conspiring to sexually abuse child in Vietnam

A Seattle man was found guilty on Thursday of two federal felonies for directing the sexual abuse of a young child in Vietnam.

What we know:

According to the US Attorney's Office Western District of Washington, Richard Stanley Manness Jr., 38, was convicted of producing child sexual abuse imagery after a three-day jury trial. Jurors deliberated for approximately three hours before reaching their verdict.

Manness faces a mandatory minimum of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 30 years when he is sentenced by U.S. District Judge Richard A. Jones on Nov. 14, 2025.

The U.S. Department of Justice seal. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

The backstory:

According to court records, Manness conspired with a woman in Vietnam to kidnap and sexually assault a child as young as 6 years old. The co-conspirator took two young sisters from the street in April 2024 to an Airbnb rented by Manness. The woman then sent images of the abuse to Manness over the internet.

Manness had also planned to travel to Vietnam for further abuse. He was arrested in his Seattle apartment on Aug. 28, 2024, after Vietnamese authorities contacted Homeland Security Investigations with information about the kidnapping and abuse. He has remained in federal custody since his arrest.

The case was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations and the Vietnamese Ministry of Public Security. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Hampton and Cecelia Gregson prosecuted the case.

The prosecution was part of Project Safe Childhood, a Department of Justice initiative to combat child sexual exploitation.

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