RI Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Over 50K Images of Child Porn

RI Man Pleads Guilty to Possessing Over 50K Images of Child Porn

A Rhode Island man pled guilty to possessing more than 50,000 images and 200 videos of child pornography on Friday in federal court in Providence, announced U.S. Attorney Aaron Weisman.

Jason Muschiano, 39, of Woonsocket is scheduled to be sentenced on May 22, 2020.

The Investigation

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According to information presented to the court, during November of 2018, members of the ICAC task force conducted an online child exploitation investigation involving the use of peer-to-peer networks.

Detectives watched an IP address they later determined belonged to Muschiano sharing files of suspected child pornography.

On February 14, 2019, members of the ICAC task force executed a court-authorized search of Muschiano’s residence.

During the search, Muschiano admitted to law enforcement that he had downloaded and viewed child pornography depicting toddlers ages three, four, and five years old.

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, a full forensic review of digital storage devices seized from Muschiano’s residence revealed over 50,000 images and 200 videos depicting child pornography.

Possible Sentence

According to the U.S. Attorney’s office, possession of child pornography is punishable by statutory penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment; a term of supervised release of life; and a $5,000 special assessment.