Trump dating site spokesmodel has a child sex conviction

Erin Donnelly
·Yahoo Life Senior Editor
William Barrett Riddleberger and his wife, Jodi, in their Trump.Dating ad. (Trump.Dating)
William Barrett Riddleberger and his wife, Jodi, in their Trump.Dating ad. (Trump.Dating)

Trump.Dating, an online dating site for supporters of President Trump, has removed promotional images of a North Carolina couple wearing “Make America Great Again” caps following news reports that the man has a felony conviction for indecent liberties with a minor.

North Carolina news affiliate WRAL reports that William Barrett Riddleberger, who was featured on Trump.Dating alongside his wife, Jodi, was charged after he videotaped himself having intercourse with a 15-year-old minor in 1995. Riddleberger was 25 at the time. According to Age of Consent, that is a Class F felony in North Carolina, with a punishment of 10 to 41 months in prison. Sentencing or settlement details stemming from the conviction have not been made public.

“I’ve already paid my debt for something I did 25 years ago,” Riddleberger told reporters. He declined to discuss the matter further, but added that he and Jodi, the co-founder of Conservatives for Guilford County, have been married for 22 years.

Riddleberger is not listed in the North Carolina sex offender registry, nor, as WRAL notes, does he have any subsequent criminal charges.

Trump.Dating has not responded to Yahoo Lifestyle’s request for comment. According to its homepage, which no longer features photos of the Riddlebergers, the dating site is “wrecking the dating game and giving like-minded Americans a chance to meet without the awkwardness that comes with the first conversation about politics. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to already know that your date roots for the same team?”

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