Westerly, Rhode Island, Man Convicted of Possessing and Distributing Child Pornography

WASHINGTON – David Chiaradio, 28, of Westerly, R.I., was convicted today by a federal jury in Providence, R.I., of one count of distribution of child pornography and two counts of possession of child pornography, announced Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha of the District of Rhode Island. The jury returned its verdicts after considering testimony and evidence for more than two days.

Evidence presented at trial established that in February 2006, Chiaradio distributed three child pornographic images to an undercover FBI agent using Limewire, a peer-to-peer file sharing program. FBI agents continued their investigation of Chiaradio and obtained a search warrant that was executed at Chiaradio’s home in late August 2006. During the search, agents seized a laptop and a desktop computer. The computers and various hard drives were examined by a computer forensics expert from the FBI and more than 6,000 images and videos of child pornography were discovered.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Mary M. Lisi, who presided over the trial, scheduled a sentencing hearing to be held on March 3, 2011.

The maximum sentence for distribution of child pornography is 30 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. The maximum sentence for possession of child pornography is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly of the District of Rhode Island and Trial Attorney Andrew McCormack of the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. The case was investigated by the FBI’s Providence Field Office, with the assistance of FBI agents from the Innocent Images Task Force in Tulsa, Okla.