John Q. Adams, Child Pornography Possession, Rhode Island 2021

Foster, Rhode Island, resident John Q. Adams, 31, has been charged with possession of child pornography after a federal investigation uncovered explicit images.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Rhode Island, Adams was arrested on a federal criminal complaint charging him with possession of child pornography. The charges stem from an investigation by Homeland Security Investigations and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, which found that Adams allegedly uploaded video depicting a prepubescent female engaged in various sex acts with an adult male in January 2021.

The case was brought to the attention of Homeland Security Investigations by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.

Adams was previously convicted in June 2017 for engaging online with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl and sharing sexually explicit images with her, as well as attempting to arrange a meeting to engage in sex near her middle school. He was sentenced to 5 years of incarceration, with 1 year suspended, and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Adams was arrested and ordered detained in federal custody following an initial appearance before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Patricia A. Sullivan on Thursday, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman, Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge William S. Walker, and Rhode Island State Police Superintendent James M. Manni.

A federal criminal complaint is merely an accusation, and Adams is presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.

Adams’ alleged online activity was discovered through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, leading to the federal investigation and subsequent arrest.

The exact date of the crime was not specified in the report, however, the investigation began in January 2021 and Adams was arrested on Thursday. The outcome of the case is currently pending and Adams is being held in federal custody.

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