Former Chisago County Sheriff Richard Duncan pleads guilty to criminal sexual conduct in blackmail scheme
CHISAGO COUNTY, Minn. — Former Chisago County Sheriff Richard Duncan recently pleaded guilty to third-degree criminal sexual conduct after he was accused of blackmailing and sexually assaulting a woman.
His plea agreement from early November comes with a stayed sentence of 57 months and 180 days of probationary jail time.
The lawsuit filed alleges that he used his position as a law enforcement authority figure to "sexually assault and otherwise victimize" the woman, all while promising her protection. In October, Duncan was charged with five counts of criminal sexual conduct in connection to the woman's accusations.
The woman, who is a Chisago County resident, alleges that Duncan texted her on April 1, 2017, saying they needed to talk about something important. The two met at her home, without her husband or children present, and Duncan told her that a blackmailer wanted the two of them to act as if they were having an affair. If they didn't comply, the blackmailer would kill her and her family, Duncan said.
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The blackmailer, however, turned out to be Duncan himself, forging messages under the alias "Control Freak."
Over the next few weeks, Duncan showed letters to the woman directing them to engage in sexual activity, which included recording the activity on Duncan's iPad. In June of 2017, the blackmailer told the woman to attend a sheriff's conference with Duncan, documents state.
The affair caused the woman "unthinkable distress, humiliation, and shame," the lawsuit states. Duncan, who was running for reelection at the time, told her he would "keep (her) safe" but said she couldn't tell anyone because he thought it was an inside job.
The lawsuit asks for compensatory and punitive damages, arguing that the woman has a constitutional right to bodily integrity, which Duncan deprived her of.
Duncan, who retired in 2018 citing health reasons, pleaded guilty to sexually harassing a separate female employee between October and November of 2017 in a similarly fraudulent blackmailing plot. Documents show Duncan concocted the ploy to require the employee to go to a training with him and stay overnight in a hotel together, among other things.
She brought a civil lawsuit against Duncan and in March of 2022, was awarded $1.1 million by a jury.
Duncan is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 16.
