Cranston Man Faces Child Pornography Charges For A 5th Time

CRANSTON, RI — A level 3 sex offender was ordered detained by federal authorities after facing his fifth arrest on child pornography charges, U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha said Tuesday.

Patrick M. O'Donnell, 60, was convicted in Rhode Island state court on child pornography charges four times between 2007 and 2020. Federal prosecutors said he was released from prison on June 1. But according to court documents, O’Donnell downloaded and accessed child pornography and child erotica on cellphones he was prohibited from possessing as a condition of his probation.

Prosecutors said O'Donnell was living at a homeless shelter in Cranston at the time of his arrest. During a sex-offender compliance check at the shelter conducted by Homeland Security, Rhode Island State Police, Cranston police, and the Rhode Island Department of Corrections, O’Donnell was caught with two phones, one of which contained child pornography, prosecutors said. Prosecutors said both phones had child erotica downloaded on them.

O'Donnell was charged in federal court with knowingly possessing child pornography, which carries a 10-year mandatory minimum sentence if a defendant was previously convicted of a child pornography offense.

Prosecutors said a federal judge will determine O'Donnell's sentence at a later date.

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