A millionaire heir to the du Pont fortune was sentenced to probation for raping his 3-year-old daughter because a judge didn't think he'd be safe in prison.
Robert H. Richards IV, 47, was sentenced to eight years in prison by Delaware Superior Court Judge Jan Jurden in 2009 after pleading guilty to fourth-degree rape. However, the sentence was suspended and Richards was ordered to attend a Massachusetts treatment program for sex offenders and banned from contact with children 16 years of age and below.
Judge Jurden decided that Richards, who is reportedly 6'4" and weighs nearly 280 pounds, "[would] not fare well in a Level 5 [prison] setting." Furthermore, Raw Story said that Richards does not have any disabilities or physical illnesses.
Richards is the great-grandson of Irenee du Pont, whose family built the illustrious chemical empire. Gawker adds that his father is a retired Richards Layton & Finger partner.
In 2008, Richards pleaded guilty to raping his daughter—who's now 11—in 2005. That carries a maximum sentence of 15 years, and Richards' ex-wife also claims that he raped their son in 2005 while he was on probation.
