Richmond Man Pleads Guilty To Producing Child Pornography

OAKLAND – Ranbir Singh pleaded guilty yesterday in federal court in Oakland to the production of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Stephanie M. Hinds and Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent in Charge Tatum King.

In his plea agreement, Singh, 47, of Richmond, admitted that on March 13, 2013, he had sexual intercourse in an Alameda County hotel room with a female whom he knew to be 16 years old at the time.  The plea agreement describes that Singh set up a video camera in the hotel room before the intercourse began.  Singh admitted that he persuaded the minor female to  engage in sexual intercourse for the purpose of recording it.  He made multiple video recordings of his sex with the minor female over the next several hours.  At one point the minor female protested the ongoing sexual intercourse, but Singh continued despite her protests.  During the recordings of the sexual acts, Singh admitted that he positioned the camera so that the video would record the sexual acts.

Singh also admitted in his plea agreement that earlier, in January 2013, he video recorded the same minor female sitting in a car’s backseat with her hands restrained behind her back by handcuffs.  She was topless.

Singh further admitted that in May 2013 he traveled with a different minor female to a casino hotel in Placer County.  Singh admits that he knew this female was a minor.  The plea agreement describes that in a hotel room at the casino Singh had sexual intercourse with the minor female, after he showed her a video he recorded depicting his sexual intercourse with the minor female in the Alameda County hotel room on March 13, 2013.

The initial federal charges were brought against Singh in a complaint filed March 1, 2021.  The complaint reflects that the investigation began when the two minor female victims came forward, though initially they did not know Singh’s true name, and later developed when the sexually explicit videos were discovered.

Singh was indicted on March 23, 2021, on the charge of production of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2251(a).  The maximum penalty for a violation of production of child pornography in violation of 18 U.S.C. 2251(a) is imprisonment for 30 years, with a minimum mandatory term of imprisonment of 15 years, and a fine of $250,000.  However, any sentence will be imposed by a court only after the court’s consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

Singh’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for December 8, 2021, in Oakland federal court before the Honorable Haywood S. Gilliam, Jr., United States District Judge.  Singh remains in custody awaiting sentencing.

Jonathan U. Lee is the Assistant U.S. Attorney who is prosecuting the case, with the assistance of Leeya Kekona, Kay Konopaske, and Kathleen Turner.  The prosecution is the result of an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Richmond Police Department.