News Release
U.S. Department of Justice
Peter F. Neronha
United States Attorney
District of Rhode Island
January 17, 2012
United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha
District of Rhode Island
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Jim Martin
Tuesday, January 17, 2012 (401) 709-5357
http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/ri email: USARI.Media@usdoj.gov
Pawtucket, R.I., Man Pleads Guilty to Possession of Child Pornography
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – A Pawtucket, R.I., man arrested in June 2010 as the result of an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force into the downloading of child pornography, pled guilty in U.S. District Court in Providence today to possession of child pornography.
Gerard R. Proulx, Jr. faces up to 10 years in federal prison and a term of supervised release of not less than 5 years up to life when he is sentenced on April 6, 2012, by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith.
Gerard Proulx’s guilty plea was announced by U.S. Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police; and Bruce M. Foucart, Special Agent in Charge of ICE's Homeland Security Investigations in New England.
According to information presented to the court, law enforcement agents arrived at Proulx’s residence to execute a court ordered search warrant after having determined that child pornography was being traded through the Internet on one or more computers by Proulx’s roommate. While executing the search warrant, investigators obtained information and evidence from Proulx that he also had downloaded and stored images of child pornography on his computers. A forensic audit of two computers belonging to Proulx revealed approximately 31 videos and 940 images containing child pornography. These videos and images depicted nude prepubescent male and female children engaged in sexually explicit conduct.
Images seized from Mr. Proulx’s computer were submitted to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children for identification. The files were compared through the Child Recognition & Identification System (CRIS). Among the images of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct identified on Proulx’s computers are images from sixty-two known series involving identified victims.
Proulx’s roommate, Robert MacGregor, 49, who was also arrested and subsequently indicted as a result of the ICAC investigation, pled guilty in August 2011 in U.S. District Court to charges of receipt and possession of child pornography. MacGregor is awaiting sentencing.
Gerard Proulx was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys John P. McAdams and Mary Rogers.
The Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a Department of Justice grant-funded program administered by the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit, comprised of detectives from the Rhode Island State Police, Providence Police Department, West Warwick Police Department, Coventry Police Department, and an agent from ICE-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). The objective of the RI ICAC is to form strong working relationships between local, state and federal law enforcement in order to effectively and efficiently prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute online child exploitation and child pornography crimes.
Contact: 401-709-5357
USARI.Media@usdoj.gov
