How Could You? Hall of Shame-Sydney Rhees

This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.

From Salt Lake City, Utah, former residential treatment center employee, Sydney Rhees “age 29, of Salt Lake City, charged with possession of child pornography in an indictment returned in February[2010], will spend 70 months in federal prison.

Judge Stewart also ordered Rhees, who pled guilty to the charge in July[2010], to serve 300 months of supervised release when he finishes his federal prison sentence” according to the Department of Justice news release on the Salt Lake City FBI site dated December 1, 2010.
Sydney Rhees Department of Justice Press Release
[Salt Lake City FBI 12/1/10]

The release continues with “Rhees was arrested earlier this year after a concerned citizen contact the Salt Lake Unified Police Department to report that while he was at Rhees’ residence, Rhees showed him videos and still images depicting children and infants being sexually abused by adult males.

According to documents filed in court, Rhees also expressed interest in adopting a young baby boy and raising the baby so he could sexually molest him. Rhees described this to the concerned citizen as Utopia.

An FBI agent, acting in an undercover capacity, posed as the concerned citizen online and sent Rhees a text message. Subsequent text messages between the FBI agent and Rhees corroborated details provided by the concerned citizen regarding Rhees’ involvement in child pornography. A search warrant was executed at Rhees’ residence. Videos depicting child pornography were found during the search.

“This case has several disturbing aspects, including the nature of the child pornography found in Rhees’ possession, his prior contact with adoption and foster care agencies, and his history of employment working with children. Because of the danger which he posed to children, a 70-month federal prison sentence, followed by 300 months of supervised release under court-imposed conditions, is an appropriate resolution and the best way to ensure that this defendant does not re-offend,” U.S. Attorney Carlie Christensen said today.”

” The complaint states that Rhees’ behavior was discovered by another man who met Rhees on an Internet dating site. The man said Rhees showed him a number of child pornography videos, many of them accessed through the Internet.

Rhees also showed the man photos of two, young local boys that Rhees claimed he had sexual relationships with.”
Salt Lake man who works with children charged in child porn case
[Deseret News 2/13/10 by Emiley Morgan]

“Prosecutors said Rhees was employed at a residential treatment facility in West Jordan, where he worked with children.”

Judge says former youth worker who faces child porn charges should remain in jail
[Deseret News 5/12/10 by Emiley Morgan]

According to the Salt Lake City Tribune, the children were 5- and 8-year-old neighbor boys.  Also, the newspaper reported that the RTC fired him when allegations came to light. That newspaper also states that Rhees completed foster care training in 2009 through Utah Foster Care Foundation.They additionally report that he had legally changed his name to Christopher Newman.

Fox 13 news on February 12, 2010 confirms the neighbor boys’ allegations “Rhees is also alleged to have bragged about having sex with two young neighbor boys.” Salt Lake County man arrested for alleged child porn possession

There are a number of RTCs in the area of West Jordan, Utah. The list that we could find are as follows:

• West Ridge Academy (formerly Utah Boys’ Ranch)
• Pine Ridge Academy
• Copper Hills Youth Center
• Kolob Canyon Residential Treatment Center

US vs. Sydney Rhess Feburary 17, 2010 can be viewed in pdf  here.

Sydney filed a motion to review his detention on May 10, 2010. This can be viewed here.

The Department of Justice news release in pdf is here.

Rhees also was a vocal gay marriage activist and had married his partner in Massachusetts in 2004.

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