Obscene phone caller admits guilt

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) - Richard Minch, who earlier accepted a plea deal on charges of extortion and making threatening phone calls, pleaded guilty Friday in US District Court.

Minch, 48, faces at least 15 years in prison for his most recent actions. He admitted trying to extort money from a business by threatening to shoot an employee, and he admitted making pictures of a minor engaging in sexually explicit acts.

He was also able to convince a 13-year-old girl who advertised babysitting services on craigslist that he was a CIA operative who needed naked photos of her.

He could get up to 50 years in prison, a lifetime of supervision should he be released, and fines up to $500,000. A sentencing date has not been set.

Minch has a long criminal history. In 1979 and 1984, he was convicted of indecent exposure. Also in 1984, he was convicted of molesting a 6-year-old.

In 1992, he was convicted of attempted criminal sexual conduct. Then, in 1994, he was convicted of felony extortion and indecent exposure. In 2005, he was convicted of trespassing, and later that year, convicted of failing to register as a sex offender.