Former Providence Realtor Sentenced for Attempting to Entice a Minor

Former Providence Realtor Sentenced for Attempting to Entice a Minor

A former Providence realtor convicted by a federal court jury of attempting to entice a 10-year-old girl to engage in sexual activity was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 15 years in federal prison to be followed by seven years of federal supervised release, announced United States Attorney Zachary Cunha.

Thomas Hammond, 54, of Lincoln, was convicted after trial of attempting to persuade, entice, induce or coerce a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity.

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At trial, the government presented evidence that in June 2017, Hammond communicated on line and by telephone for several days with a person he believed to be the stepfather of a 10-year-old girl living in Warwick; in actuality, he was communicating with undercover officers of the Rhode Island Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). 

When Hammond was told that the man was sexually abusing his stepdaughter, he proposed joining in the abuse. Hammond arranged to meet with the stepfather, and to accompany him to his home to molest the 10-year-old at a pool party that Hammond planned. Instead, when Hammond arrived at the designated meeting location, he was arrested by HSI and ICAC officers.

“As the jury heard, the evidence in this case was distressingly clear: this Defendant repeatedly, unequivocally, and enthusiastically sought to victimize the most vulnerable among us in the most vile ways imaginable,” said Cunha. “Today’s sentence should serve notice that this type of exploitation cannot, and will not, be tolerated in our communities.”

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.