Federal Jury Convicts Registered Sex Offender on Child Pornography Charges

PROVIDENCE, RI – A federal jury swiftly returned a guilty verdict on Friday, December 6, 2024, delivering a second conviction to a Cranston registered sex offender, who possessed child pornography while on supervised release following his earlier conviction by this Office for child pornography offenses, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

In December 2016, David A. Skally, 65, was convicted  of possessing and accessing with the intent to view child pornography, and was sentenced to 30 months in federal prison to be followed by five years of supervised release. It was during this period of court-ordered supervision that he committed his current crimes.

On Friday, Skally was convicted following a four-day trial on charges of access with intent to view child pornography and possession of child pornography.

“Undeterred by his prior conviction, this defendant chose to continue in a course of conduct that victimized and contributed to the horrific abuse of children,” remarked U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha. “This Office is likewise undeterred in its determination to stand up for the most vulnerable among us, and with this verdict, we have ensured that the public will be kept safe from this defendant for years to come.”

“Despite a previous federal conviction and prison time, Skally chose to again seek out child sexual abuse material knowing full well the harm it causes to children and the legal consequences he would face. A federal jury has found Skally guilty and he is once again facing significant time in federal prison,” said HSI New England’s Special Agent in Charge Michael J. Krol. “HSI works every day with our partners in Rhode Island to keep children safe and ensure predators are brought to justice.”

According to evidence presented by the government at trial, Skally underwent three examinations by a member of his sex-offender treatment team between June 5, 2020, and April 5, 2021, as part of his court-ordered supervision.  During the course of those examinations, Skally admitted to viewing sexually explicit images of children “over ten times” after his release from prison while on supervised release.  Further, Skally admitted some of the images he viewed depicted children 11 years of age or under engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

Additional evidence showed that Skally engaged in repeated efforts to avoid monitoring software and other safeguards required during his term of probation.

Subsequent investigation and a forensic examination of Skally’s computer ultimately discovered several images of child pornography, including images of adults engaged in sexual activity with prepubescent victims.  The jury ultimately concluded that Skally both possessed and accessed child pornography with the intent to view it, and specifically found that at least some of the material in question involved prepubescent children under the age of twelve.

Skally is scheduled to be sentenced on March 13, 2024. The defendant’s sentences will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors; by virtue of his prior conviction, Skally is subject to a mandatory minimum sentence of ten years in federal prison.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Ronald R. Gendron and Denise M. Barton, with the assistance of Assistant United States Attorneys Christine D. Lowell and John P. McAdams.

This case, investigated by the U.S. Probation Department and Homeland Security Investigations, 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. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc

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