Manufacturer and Distributor of Child Pornography Sentenced to 35 Years in Federal Prison

PROVIDENCE, RI—David Crisostomi, 38, of East Providence, Rhode Island, was sentenced on Wednesday to 35 years in federal prison for using a prepubescent minor to manufacture child pornography and for possessing and distributing child pornography, announced United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha, Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, and Vincent B. Lisi, Special Agent in Charge of the Boston Field Office of the FBI.
At sentencing, U.S. District Court Judge John J. McConnell, Jr. also ordered Crisostomi to serve lifetime supervised release upon completion of his prison term. Crisostomo pleaded guilty on March 12, 2013, to three counts of production of child pornography and one count each of possession and distribution of child pornography. At the time of his guilty plea, Crisostomi admitted to the court that on at least three occasions he participated in the recording of child pornography with a prepubescent minor and that he downloaded and shared child pornography with others.
United States Attorney Peter F. Neronha commented, “A child’s innocence, once taken, can never be fully recovered. The defendant preyed on the most vulnerable and the most deserving of our protection. Every day of his very long sentence is warranted. I want to thank all those who helped bring this defendant to justice, in particular the men and women from various law enforcement agencies who make up the Rhode Island State Police ICAC and the FBI, who consistently demonstrate extraordinary leadership in this critical area.”
According to information presented to the court, on January 6, 2012, an undercover agent from the FBI’s Innocent Images Operations Unit observed that a user later identified as David Crisostomi was online and was sharing two folders containing child pornography. Three days later, an undercover agent observed that Crisostomi was online and was now sharing four folders containing child pornography.
On February 16, 2012, agents from the FBI and the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force executed a federal search warrant at Crisostomi’s residence and seized numerous images and videos depicting child pornography; computers; and other electronic devices.
Crisostomi has been detained in federal custody since his arrest on February 16, 2012.
Colonel Steven G. O’Donnell, Superintendent of the Rhode Island State Police, commented, “The underlying facts uncovered in this investigation resulted in this sentence. For more than the next three decades, this defendant will not be a threat to any children, which is comforting. I commend the investigators from the State Police ICAC Task Force, the FBI agents, and the prosecutors for bringing a predator to justice.”
“Mr. Crisostomi will sit for 35 years where he belongs,” said Vincent Lisi, the FBI Special Agent in Charge who is responsible for the FBI in Rhode Island. “The public should know we have many deeply committed special agents actively searching for individuals of Mr. Crisostomi’s kind. For others like him, his sentence should be a clear warning that there is nothing more important to the Rhode Island State Police, United States Attorney’s Office, and FBI than ensuring the safety and protection of our children from those who harm them. We spare no effort when innocent children are manipulated or harmed by adults.”
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc and click on the tab “Resources.”