Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

Registered Sex Offender Sentenced to Federal Prison for Distribution and Possession of Child Pornography

PROVIDENCE, RI – A registered sex offender who admitted to a federal judge that he possessed and distributed child pornography while serving a term of state probation imposed as the result of a previous conviction on an unrelated state charge of solicitation of a child has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Robert H. King, 39, pleaded guilty in federal court on October 31, 2023, to charges of distribution of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 108 months of incarceration to be followed by 15 years of federal supervised release.

In December 2019, ten months after being convicted and sentenced in Rhode Island state court for solicitation of a minor, King uploaded an image of child pornography to a social media account that he controlled. Additionally, further investigation by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force determined that multiple images of child pornography had been uploaded from an IP address located in Rhode Island, determined to be  utilized by King, to various internet-based social media platforms.

A forensic audit of a cellular phone seized from King in March 2020 revealed approximately 135 images of child pornography.

The case in U.S. District Court was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Ronald R. Gendron.

The matter was investigated by the ICAC Task Force, with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations.