Former Porstmouth Resident Sentenced for Distribution of Child Pornography

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Adam C. Cobb, 48, formerly of Portsmouth, RI, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Providence to 5 years in federal prison for distributing child pornography. Cobb was arrested in April 2015, following an investigation by agents from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force (RI ICAC).

At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr., also ordered Cobb to serve 10 years supervised release upon completion of his prison term and to pay a fine of $25,000. Cobb pleaded guilty on February 24, 2016, to one count of distribution of child pornography.

Cobb’s sentence is announced by United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha; Matthew J. Etre, Special Agent in Charge of HSI for New England; and Colonel Ann S. Assumpico, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police.

According to court documents and information presented to the court, in January 2015, The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children reported to the RI ICAC that an individual in Rhode Island uploaded images of child pornography to Tumblr.com. The investigation determined that an Internet address at Adam Cobb’s then Portsmouth residence was the address used to upload the images.

On March 5, 2015, ICAC Task Force members and HSI agents, supported by Naval Criminal Investigative Service agents, executed a court-authorized search warrant at Cobb’s residence and seized various digital media, computers and cellular phones. Additionally, the next day, a cell phone was seized from Mr. Cobb by Customs and Border Patrol agents at the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport as Mr. Cobb entered the United States, having traveled from Tokyo, Japan.

A forensic examination of the digital media seized resulted in the discovery of photos and videos of child pornography depicting two juvenile females. With the assistance of the Baltimore, Maryland Police Department and HSI offices in Baltimore and in London, England, the RI ICAC determined the identity of both females.

Adam Cobb, who was arrested on April 3, 2015, has been detained in federal custody since December 21, 2015, after the court revoked his release on $1,000,000 surety bond after he admitted to violating the court imposed terms of his pre-trial release.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Terrence P. Donnelly.

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