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LEHI — A Riverton man arrested during a "human trafficking operation" in Lehi this month is in more trouble after investigators found child pornography on his phone, according to the Utah County Sheriff's Office.
Richard Michael Martin, 29, was arrested Feb. 14 after detectives say he solicited an undercover officer — whom he believed was a mother — to have sex with her preteen daughters, according to the sheriff's office.
During his arrest, investigators were also able to tie Martin to another undercover operation they had conducted in 2016 in which he attempted to arrange a meeting for the purposes of sex with a undercover officer posing as a 13-year-old girl, according to charging documents.
He was charged in 4th District Court on Feb. 22 of nine counts of enticing a minor — three of those counts for the alleged 2016 incident and six connected to his most recent arrest.
At the time of the arrest, the sheriff's office also announced that it believed Martin possessed "extremely graphic child pornography involving very young children and infants."
After reviewing Martin's cellphone, the sheriff's office announced Tuesday he was being held for investigation of an additional 22 counts of sexual exploitation of a minor. If formally charged, Martin would have 31 felonies in total.
Investigators say they will seek possible federal charges against Martin, who was allegedly arrested for similar crimes in Kentucky in 2009.
The human trafficking operation conducted by the Utah County Sheriff's Office also resulted in the arrest of and subsequent criminal charges against David Moss, 51, of Lehi, a former police vice squad lieutenant, church leader and city government leader.
