Cranston Man Admits to Producing and Possessing Child Pornography
Cranston Man Admits to Producing and Possessing Child Pornography
PROVIDENCE – A Cranston man admitted to a federal judge today that he produced and possessed images and videos of child pornography, including some that he produced involving a girl who was under ten years old, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.
Gregory Phillips, 42, pleaded guilty today to federal charges of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He is scheduled to be sentenced on May 7, 2024. The defendant’s sentence will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Philips admitted to the court that in late 2021 and early 2022, he produced sexually explicit images and videos involving a minor female, and that he stored those and other images and videos of child sexual abuse on a storage cloud that he controlled.
Philips first came to the attention of law enforcement when members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force reviewed a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that an individual in Rhode Island possessed and transferred child pornography. Further investigation by the ICAC Task Force and a Cranston Police Detective determined that the images and videos were being transferred from an account linked to Philips’s phone number.
A forensic review of images and videos located on cellphones seized from Philips by law enforcement resulted in the discovery of a total of 109 images and 15 videos of child pornography, some containing images of Philips and various household items and locations within Philips’s residence.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee H. Vilker.
The matter was investigated by the ICAC Task Force and Cranston Police, with the assistance of Homeland Security. United States Attorney Cunha extends his thanks to the Cranston Police Department for its support and assistance in this matter.