Biography
Richardson grew up in Fort Worth,Texas,as the youngest of ten children. His parents were a custodian and a construction worker. [1]
Richardson attended the University of North Texas,where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration. He later attended Amberton University and earned a Master of Science in Human Relations and Business. [2]
Richardson began his career in software quality assurance. [1] He later became a Texas police officer,spending five years in the position,where he rose to the rank of Lieutenant. Following this,he began working for the Bureau of Alcohol,Tobacco,Firearms and Explosives in 1989. [2] Richardson was present at the controversial 1993 Waco siege,which led to the deaths of 82 civilians and 4 BATFE agents. He was awarded the Hostile Action Service Medal for his role during the siege. [1] In a 1995 interview,Richardson stated that while BATFE leadership mislead him about the raid,he did not blame them for what occurred. [3]
Richardson was appointed deputy director of the BAFTE on October 29,2019. [4]
Richardson served as the acting director of the BATFE from June 4,2021 to April 24,2022. President Joe Biden later replaced Richardson with Gary M. Restaino. [5] During the Biden administration,Richardson faced Democratic criticism for delaying bans on homemade firearms and perceived friendliness with gun industry leaders. [6] National Review attributed Richardson's replacement due to aforementioned criticism, [7] as did Fox News contributors Jeanine Pirro and Buck Sexton. [8]
In January 2025,Richardson again briefly served as acting director,following the resignation of Steve Dettelbach on January 17. [9] On February 24,he again ceased to be Acting Director [2] after President Donald Trump appointed Kash Patel to the position. [10]
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