Bristol Man Charged with Child Porn Possession Worked in Middletown

A 31-year-old Bristol man is facing charges of possession and transfer of child pornography after a State Police Internet Crimes Against Children task force investigation.

Matthew Antignano, of 533 Metacom Ave., Bristol, allegedly was sharing videos and pictures of child pornography and was arrested Wednesday morning at his home by task force members armed with a warrant.

Police said they seized a computer that contained pictures and videos of child porn.

Antignano was recently employed by Looking Upwards, a MIddletown nonprofit that serves people with disabilities. Antignano did not put him in direct contact with children, police said.

Antignano will be arraigned Wednesday morning in Providence District Court and could face upwards of 15 years if convicted. 

Antignano was identified in a recent undercover investigation of online groups of people trading child porn on the internet. As part of their investigation, Antignano's computer was traced to his Metacom Avenue home.

According to a release, The ICAC Task Force actively engages in investigative efforts to identify subjects involved in child exploitation-related activities. The Rhode Island ICAC Task Force Program is administered by the Rhode Island State Police and supports a national network of multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional task forces engaged in investigations, forensic examinations, and prosecutions related to Internet crimes against children and technology-facilitated child sexual exploitation.

The Rhode Island ICAC Task Force is comprised of members of the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit along with detectives from the Coventry Police Department, Warwick Police Department, Pawtucket Police Department, North Kingstown Police Department, Portsmouth Police Department, Bristol Police Department, South Kingstown Police Department, Woonsocket Police Department, and special agents from Homeland Security Investigations and United States Postal Inspection Services.