Jay Gaccione, Child Pornography Production, RI 2024

Westy, RI is reeling after 39-year-old Jay Gaccione was taken into federal custody on charges he produced and possessed child pornography. The arrest, carried out by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, marks a grim escalation in a probe that has been quietly building for weeks.

Gaccione appeared before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Lincoln D. Almond late today in Providence, where he was ordered held without bond. The federal criminal complaint unsealed today alleges Gaccione created and stored illicit images of minors—crimes that carry mandatory minimum sentences and lifetime registration as a sex offender.

Law enforcement sources confirm search warrants were executed at Gaccione’s Westerly residence earlier in the day. Agents seized multiple electronic devices, including computers and external storage drives, believed to contain exploitative material. The devices are now in the hands of forensic analysts at the HSI lab in Warwick.

“This is exactly why these task forces exist—to identify, arrest, and remove predators who exploit children,” said U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha at a press briefing outside the courthouse. “No one is above scrutiny, and no corner of Rhode Island is off-limits to federal investigators.”

Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of HSI New England, emphasized the collaborative nature of the takedown. “HSI does not operate in a vacuum. This arrest was made possible through real-time intelligence sharing with state and local partners who are equally committed to child protection.”

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Denise M. Barton. A federal criminal complaint is merely an allegation and not evidence of guilt. Gaccione is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.