Mark Peterson, Child Pornography, Rhode Island 2024

A North Providence man has been sentenced to five years in federal prison for his role in distributing and possessing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Mark Peterson, 46, was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 60 months of incarceration to be followed by 15 years of federal supervised release. Peterson pleaded guilty on September 6, 2024, to an indictment charging him with distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography.

The investigation began in February 2022 when the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children forwarded information to the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force regarding the online distribution of child pornography. A State Police Detective determined that someone using the IP address at Peterson’s residence had sent 114 files depicting child sexual abuse over an online messaging application.

Members of the ICAC Task Force executed a court-authorized search of Peterson’s residence on April 5, 2022. A review of several cell phones seized during the search revealed more than 1,300 files consisting of videos and images of child sexual abuse, including depictions of the abuse of pre-pubescent children, infants, sadomasochism, and bestiality. Investigators also located screen recordings in which Peterson falsely portrayed himself as 15 years old.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Julianne Klein and John P. McAdams. The matter was investigated by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations and the Massachusetts State Police.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.

The Rhode Island ICAC Task Force is comprised of members of the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit along with detectives from the Warwick Police Department, Cranston Police Department, East Providence Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Bristol Police Department, Middletown Police Department, and Special Agents from Homeland Security Investigations.

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