Cranston Man Admits to Possession of Over 1,500 Child Porn Videos

Cranston Man Admits to Possession of Over 1,500 Child Porn Videos

A Cranston man admitted to having possession of 1,500 videos and over 240 images of child pornography.

Justin Mierisch, formerly of Smithfield, pleaded guilty to possession of child pornography in federal court on Friday, announced U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman. 

He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 4, 2020.

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The Investigation

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, Mierisch was arrested in September 2018, after an investigation by the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force determined that since at least April 28, 2015, and continuing through September 17, 2018, Mierisch possessed hundreds of images and more than 1,500 videos of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct.

According to court documents and information presented to the Court, the ICAC investigation determined that Mierisch possessed images of child pornography while living in Smithfield and while living at his present residence in Cranston.

On September 17, 2018, members of the ICAC Task Force executed a court-authorized search of Mierisch’s Cranston residence and seized Mierisch’s electronic storage devices.

A forensic audit of Mierisch’s property revealed 1,477 videos and 242 images of child pornography.