Pawtucket Man Pleads Guilty to Possession and Distribution of Child Pornography

PROVIDENCE – On December 1, 2025, a Pawtucket man pleaded guilty in federal court in Rhode Island for knowingly accessing, possessing, and distributing child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.

Gary Ethier, 60, pleaded guilty to charges of distribution and possession of child pornography.  He will be sentenced on March 5, 2026. The sentences imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

According to court documents, in November 2024, members of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Cyber Crimes Center received information that Ethier was discussing the sexual exploitation of minor children with another individual online and sent the individual multiple images of child pornography. On December 2, 2024, the defendant’s home was searched by members of HSI and the Rhode Island Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. As a result of the search, law enforcement located over 600 images depicting child pornography on Ethier’s electronic devices.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Peter Roklan.

The matter was investigated by HSI and the ICAC Task Force.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. 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

To report suspected online child sexual exploitation and/or abuse, call the Know2Project Tipline at 1-833-591-KNOW (5669) or visit the NCMEC CyberTipline® at https://report.cybertip.org/