Constitutional Sheriff Mack Sent Mark Lamb Video From Probe of Son鈥檚 Alleged Child Sex Abuse, Email Shows
Constitutional Sheriffs leader Richard Mack emailed a video related to an investigation into his son鈥檚 alleged child abuse to Pinal County, Arizona, Sheriff Mark Lamb in 2021 to ask if law enforcement could investigate the child鈥檚 mother. The information came from public records Hatewatch obtained. This is the second known child abuse investigation into Rich Solon Mack, Richard Mack鈥檚 son. Rich Mack faces charges for alleged child abuse in Kentucky.
Richard Mack, leader and founder of the extremist Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association聽(CSPOA), shared via email a video with Pinal County, Arizona, Sheriff Mark Lamb that involved a 鈥渟ex scene鈥� to 鈥済et [his] son in trouble.鈥� Mack shared the video to ask Lamb鈥檚 opinion about investigating the mother.
鈥淭his is the video my son's ex鈥恎irlfriend put together to try to have him charged with child sex abuse,鈥� Mack wrote to Lamb on Sept. 26, 2021. 鈥淲e want to know if there are grounds to go after her criminally for doing this with the girls.鈥�
The email came as part of a public records request. The request was for documents containing email addresses linked to Richard Mack and the CSPOA in a certain date range to document communications between the extremist group and law enforcement.
The email鈥檚 subject line reads, 鈥淔w: 15-1 2.MP4.鈥� MP4s are a common digital video format. Hatewatch did not view the video as authorities did not include it in the release. Lauren Reimer, the Pinal County Sheriff's Office public information officer, told Hatewatch of the video: 鈥淭he file is now unopenable. The file was available until October 25, 2021. That expiration date was set by the sender, not by any [sheriff鈥檚 office] account.鈥�
Mack claimed in the email that 鈥淒CS,鈥� the abbreviation for Arizona鈥檚 Department of Child Safety, 鈥渢old us that they would testify for my son because they were certain [the mother] fabricated the allegations against Rich.鈥�
Arizona DCS spokesman Darren DaRonco said his agency 鈥渃annot comment due to ,鈥� the Arizona statute that governs release of DCS information.
It is unclear why DCS was unable to comment. The statute says DCS may provide information to persons 鈥渃onducting bona fide research, the results of which might provide DCS information that is beneficial in improving the department鈥� and 鈥渢o confirm, clarify, correct or supplement information concerning an allegation or actual instance of child abuse鈥� made by a public or outside source.
Reimer, the public information officer for the Pinal County Sheriff's Office, told Hatewatch Mack鈥檚 email could not have resulted in an investigation. 鈥淲e cannot accept reports of crimes through email. Any and all reports need to go through our emergency or non-emergency phone lines so they can be reviewed by the appropriate parties.鈥�
Stephen Saltzburg, a former Justice Department official and George Washington University Law School professor, told Hatewatch there was nothing legally concerning about Mack sending Lamb the video 鈥渙n its face.鈥�
But Saltzburg cautioned that 聽of child abuse materials is broad.
According to the Justice Department, 鈥淔ederal law prohibits the production, distribution, reception and possession of鈥� child abuse materials and 鈥渦sing or affecting any means or facility of interstate or foreign commerce.鈥�
A person 鈥渃onvicted of transporting鈥� via interstate commerce, which can mean an email that travels across internet service provider鈥檚 servers between states, 鈥渇aces fines and a statutory minimum of 5 years to 20 years maximum in prison.鈥�
Reimer declined to comment on Lamb鈥檚 reaction to the email, which she said no one at the sheriff鈥檚 office had reviewed.聽
Mack said he would not comment on his 鈥渟on's case. It is in the middle of some intense litigation.鈥� Mack referenced a family court case in Arizona, but did not respond to follow-up questions about the case. Rich Mack has had at last four cases in Arizona Family Court, according to that court鈥檚 docket.
Kentucky charges
The investigation Mack referenced in the email is not the only one Rich Mack has faced.
A Warren County, Kentucky, grand jury 聽on 12 counts of child sexual abuse on April 13, 2022, according the indictment Hatewatch obtained from the court. Mack faces four counts each of incest, first-degree sodomy with a victim younger than 12 and first-degree sexual abuse of victim less than 12. The indictment refers to a male victim.
Mack sent the email to Lamb on Sept. 26, 2021, roughly seven months before law enforcement 聽on the Kentucky charges.
Authorities set a $150,000 cash bond. The Daily Beast 聽that Mack paid the bond and left Warren County in April 2022.
Hatewatch also obtained a motion to dismiss that Rich Mack鈥檚 lawyer filed, a response from the prosecutor, Mack鈥檚 second response and a notice that the court denied the motion to dismiss.
Rich Mack鈥檚 attorney filed documents that allege the child鈥檚 mother was 鈥渄isgruntled鈥� after 鈥渃ontentious custody and timesharing litigation.鈥� The attorney also claimed the mother has made 鈥渟ix 鈥� false allegations of various types of abuse against鈥� Rich Mack. The documents say Rich Mack first met with detectives in June 2019. Rich Mack 鈥渧oluntarily answered questions and provided information to assist investigators鈥� and nothing came of that investigation, his lawyer claimed in the documents.
Rich Mack learned in February 2022 that 鈥渢he Bowling Green Police Department,鈥� the department that serves Warren County, Kentucky, 鈥渨as asked to reopen the investigation,鈥� according to court papers.
Hatewatch requested documents detailing investigations into Rich Mack from Kentucky鈥檚 Cabinet for Health and Family Services (CHFS), which handles child welfare. CHFS denied Hatewatch鈥檚 request, citing the confidentiality of the records.
The court has not yet set a date for the trial, the Warren County, Kentucky, Circuit Court Clerk鈥檚 Office told Hatewatch.
Photo illustration of Mark Lamb (left) and Richard Mack by 澳彩开奖. Source photos from Getty and AP Images
