James Diggins, 47, of Warwick, and Neil Streich, 57, of North Kingstown, have been indicted on federal charges tied to the sexual exploitation of children, marking another crackdown in Rhode Island’s underground network of online predators. The arrests, announced by U.S. Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and FBI Boston Division’s Special Agent in Charge Joseph R. Bonavolonta, stem from covert investigations under the DOJ’s Project Safe Childhood initiative.
Diggins faces one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography. Federal court documents allege he shared multiple videos and images of child sexual exploitation in public online groups frequented by individuals seeking illicit material. At one point, Diggins reportedly commented on the reuse of videos he had previously uploaded, brazenly acknowledging their circulation among users engaged in child sexual abuse material.
Investigators say Diggins escalated the abuse during a private online exchange with an undercover FBI Task Force Officer, sending videos depicting child exploitation and a live photo of himself. He was arrested May 30, 2020, by the FBI Boston Division’s Human Trafficking Child Exploitation Task Force. After an initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Providence, he was released on unsecured bond, confined to home incarceration and electronic monitoring.
Neil Streich was charged with transferring obscene material to a minor after a three-month online exchange with someone he believed to be a 10-year-old girl. Court filings allege Streich demanded visual proof the girl was her claimed age and, three days after receiving a non-sexually explicit image, began sending obscene photos of himself. The recipient was, in reality, an undercover FBI Special Agent embedded in the operation.
Streich was taken into custody June 17, 2020, by the Providence FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Providence the following day and was released on unsecured bond. No arraignment dates have been set for either defendant; both are presumed innocent until proven guilty, as a federal indictment is merely an accusation.
The cases are being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams. Project Safe Childhood, launched to combat the surge of technology-facilitated child sexual abuse, relies on a network of federal, state, and local agencies to identify, investigate, and prosecute offenders. Authorities warn that predators operating behind screens are increasingly under federal scrutiny—and the reach of justice is closing in.
Related Federal Cases
- Boston Man Charged with Child Sex Trafficking and Exploitation · Massachusetts
- Jay Gaccione, 39, Held on Child Porn Charges in Westerly · Rhode Island
- David A. Skally Admits to Possessing Child Pornography · Rhode Island
- Adam C. Cobb Sentenced for Child Porn Distribution · Rhode Island
- Ryan J. Lebrun Pleads Guilty to Child Porn Charges · Rhode Island
Key Facts
- State: Rhode Island
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Sex Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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