He pleaded guilty to raping his 3-year-old daughter. He never spent a day in prison. The case stayed almost entirely out of public view for five years.
Robert H. Richards IV, an heir to the DuPont family fortune, pleaded guilty in 2008 to fourth-degree rape of his young daughter and was sentenced to probation rather than prison. The case drew little public attention until a 2014 civil lawsuit revealed further allegations and reignited national debate over whether wealth had shaped the outcome.
The Allegations
In October 2007, Richards's daughter, then about 5, described to her maternal grandmother a specific way her father had touched her. The grandmother alerted Richards's then-wife, Tracy, and the two contacted a doctor and a child abuse hotline. Police investigated and determined the abuse had reportedly begun when the girl was around 3 years old. Richards was arrested and initially indicted on two counts of second-degree child rape, each carrying a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years.
A Plea Deal
Prosecutors ultimately offered Richards a plea to a single count of fourth-degree rape — a charge more commonly associated with statutory rape cases — rather than proceeding to trial. Delaware's Attorney General at the time, Beau Biden, later publicly defended that decision, saying the case relied on circumstantial evidence and a young child's testimony, without physical forensic evidence, and that proceeding to trial carried a real risk of losing outright. Richards pleaded guilty in June 2008.
Sentencing
At his February 2009 sentencing, Richards told the court he felt horrible and had no excuse for what he'd done. His attorney argued that Richards, over six feet tall and roughly 300 pounds, "would not fare well" in Delaware's prison system. Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden ultimately sentenced Richards to eight years in prison, then suspended that sentence entirely in favor of eight years of probation, sex offender treatment, and a $4,395 fine, noting in her sentencing remarks that he had "strong family support" — a factor she said set him apart from many other defendants who appeared before her.
Staying Out of View
Despite the case never being formally sealed, it received little media coverage at the time and remained largely unknown to the public for years.
A Second Set of Allegations
In March 2014, Richards's ex-wife, Tracy Richards, filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of their children, alleging that Richards had also sexually abused their son, beginning when the boy was an infant. The lawsuit cited probation reports from 2010 and 2012 in which officers had flagged suspected abuse of the son to the court. Richards was never criminally charged in connection with these allegations. Separately, in April 2014, a judge denied a request to seal the case records, ruling that court proceedings were presumptively open to the public. By June 2014, the parties reached a confidential settlement.
Public Reaction
Once the original sentencing details became widely known through the 2014 lawsuit, the case drew significant national criticism, including from commentators and legal observers who questioned whether Richards's wealth and prominent family connections had shaped a more lenient outcome than a similarly situated defendant without those resources would have received. Others, including some legal analysts, argued the sentencing reflected the genuine weaknesses of the underlying criminal case, given the lack of physical evidence and reliance on a young child's testimony, rather than favoritism specifically tied to wealth.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Robert H. Richards IV ever go to prison?
No. His eight-year prison sentence was suspended in favor of probation, sex offender treatment, and a fine.
Was he ever criminally charged over the allegations involving his son?
No. Those allegations surfaced through a 2014 civil lawsuit and probation reports, but no separate criminal charges were ever filed regarding his son.
How was the 2014 lawsuit resolved?
The parties reached a confidential settlement by June 2014; the terms were not made public.
Why did prosecutors offer a plea deal instead of going to trial?
The Delaware Attorney General's office later stated publicly that the case relied on circumstantial evidence and a young child's testimony without physical forensic evidence, and that a trial carried a real risk of an acquittal.