‘Textbook sex trafficking’: Man sentenced for trafficking children in Las Vegas
A judge ordered a prison sentence of 35 years to life Tuesday for a man who was convicted of sex trafficking multiple children.
In April, a jury found Richard Babb, 24, guilty of counts including sex trafficking of a child under 14, sex trafficking of a child under 16, sexual assault of a minor under 14, soliciting a child for prostitution, kidnapping and luring children or mentally ill people to engage in sexual conduct.
Deputy District Attorney Morgan Lombardo said Babb committed “textbook sex trafficking,” which involved acting like he loved one of the victims and setting up “dates” for her.
He also had 12 and 13-year-old children give him oral sex in exchange for marijuana, she said.
In the case of one victim, Lombardo said, Babb picked her up, “locked the doors, took her phone, gave it back and then left her on Tropicana to go have sex with adults where he would retrieve the money for it.”
‘Lack of remorse’
Babb spent most of his time in court covering himself with an envelope in an effort to prevent news cameras from capturing his face.
In a rambling statement to District Judge Michelle Leavitt, he called his trial “unfair,” said he has a neurological issue, discussed his faith in God and suggested prosecutors were being untruthful when they accused him and his family of being disruptive.
“They try to portray me to be this heinous, evil, corrupted person and they’ve never even had a full conversation with me before,” Babb said. He described himself as “very emotional” and “very loving.”
“He has always shown a lack of remorse,” said Lombardo, who requested a total sentence of 57 years to life in prison for Babb.
Defense attorney Thomas Ericsson said Babb was a young man who made “stupid decisions.” Babb has no prior convictions, according to his attorney, who argued that the minimum sentence would be “more than sufficient.”
According to Lombardo, 35 to life was the mandatory minimum for the sexual assault of a minor count under which Leavitt ordered that sentence. Lesser sentences for other counts will run concurrently, meaning he will serve the individual sentences for each count at the same time.
A co-defendant, Amayah Patterson, 24, who is the mother of Babb’s child, testified at trial, Lombardo said. Prosecutors dismissed her case in May.
Family exclusion issue
Before Babb was sentenced, Ericsson attempted to convince Leavitt to give his client a new trial on the grounds that his family was improperly excluded from the first one.
“This trial was from top to bottom a violation of the Sixth Amendment right to an open proceeding that he is entitled to and for the jurors to know that he has family support, that he has people that love him and care for him,” Ericsson argued.
Chief Deputy District Attorney William Rowles said Babb’s family had behaved improperly.
“They cause disruptions,” Rowles said. “They record the proceedings, they threaten attorneys, they insult attorneys, they insult court staff, they attack law enforcement. His entire family should have never been allowed in the courtroom whatsoever based on their prior disruptions, but this court went to great lengths to accommodate and they violated the rules.”
As the attorneys made their arguments, a man seated with Babb’s relatives extended his middle finger to a Las Vegas Review-Journal photographer.
Leavitt denied Babb’s request for a new trial.
Contact Noble Brigham at nbrigham@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BrighamNoble on X.
