The owner of a Richmond equestrian center is facing several criminal felony charges after he was accused of an inappropriate year-long sexual relationship with an employee when the victim was 16 years old.
Raymond Krussell, 52, of Richmond, was ordered detained in McHenry County Jail following a court hearing Friday in front of McHenry County Judge Cynthia Lamb on Class 1 felony counts of criminal sexual assault of a child aged 13 to 17 and aggravated criminal sexual abuse of a person younger than 18 over whom he held a position of authority, court records show.
Krussell, owner of Krussell Stables in Richmond, is also charged with Class 4 felony counts of grooming and distributing harmful material to a child manufactured on a webcam or cellphone, court records show.
Krussell resides on the grounds of the stables in the 7100 block of Tryon Grove Road in Richmond, court records show.
According to the court complaint, Krussel engaged in a sexual relationship with the victim beginning in January 2024, through February 2025, starting when the victim was 16 years of age and ending when she was 17 years old.
The manufacturing charge claims that Krussell sent a nude webcam photo of himself to the victim in February of 2025, and that Krussell was sending text messages that were sexual in nature between when the victim was between the ages of 16 and 17 years old.
The text messages were used to continue a sexual relationship between Krussell and the victim while he served as her employer, authorities allege in the complaint.
The Northwest Herald reported on their website that the alleged victim took lessons at the stables starting when she was about 7, before working at the stables as a teenager.
The Herald is also reporting that the victim rejected Krussell the first time he tried to kiss her, but that he returned within 30 minutes and sexually assaulted her. The Herald also added that a police report said Krussell assaulted the victim about 100 times.
According to its website, Krussell Stables was established in 2002 and operates as a “premiere equestrian training center in Northern Illinois that specializes in the American Saddlebred Horse and Saddleseat riding lessons.”
The website claims the stable offers lessons and a summer camp for juvenile riders ages 4 and up.
“Lessons are taught by experienced professional instructors who place a strong emphasis on safety, fun and helping riders achieve their horseback riding goals,” the website reads.
Krussell is due back in court on Wednesday for a preliminary hearing and status of attorney, court records show.