Newport Police Officer Aids in Child Porn Raid

A Newport police officer aided in Thursday morning's child pornography raid that led to the arrest of 17 Rhode Islanders.

Officer Matthew Corcelli, who worked with the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, told Patch that the team began their day at 5:30 a.m., then spread out shortly after 6 a.m. to execute search warrants on individuals across the state, including two juveniles. Corcelli said he assisted in the South Kingstown/Wakefield area for part of the morning. The work wrapped up around 9 a.m.

Corcelli was one of more than 100 state, federal and local law enforcement agents that fanned out across Rhode Island to get the individuals, who were identified as suspects during a multi-agency, months-long operation.

Dubbed Operation Safe Child, the operation identified 20 Rhode Island residences actively involved in obtaining and sharing images of child pornography on the Internet. Investigators successfully obtained direct downloads of child pornography from the suspects' residences. 

Once at the homes, detectives discovered thousands of images of child pornography and videos. Rhode Island State Police, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), United States Marshals Service (USMS), RI ICAC Task Force affiliates, Naval Criminal Investigative Services (NCIS), and Probation and Parole were involved. Child protective services personnel from the Department of Children Youth and Families (DCYF) and the Children's Advocacy Center (CAC), Day One also assisted.

One Jamestown teen was arrested in the raid, but no Newport residents were involved. Warrants were executed in the following cities and towns: Providence, Jamestown, Narragansett, South Kingstown, North Kingstown, Cumberland, Central Falls, Barrington, Pawtucket, Burrillville, West Warwick, Richmond, Pascoag, Portsmouth, Bristol, Cranston, Coventry and North Scituate.

The state's Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force is a multi-agency group made up of sworn federal, state and local law enforcement officials, local prosecution officials, local educators, private information technologists and mental health professionals. Funded by a U.S. Department of Justice grant, the group's objective is to form strong working relationships between local, state and federal law enforcement in order to effectively and efficiently prevent, detect, investigate, and prosecute online child exploitation and child pornography crimes. 

Corcelli told Patch that he's been involved with the task force for close to a year now.

In total, 17 individuals were arrested Thursday on charges of possession of child pornography. One individual was also arrested during the raid for possession of steroids. Nine of the suspects will be arraigned in Sixth District Court Providence, four in Washington County, two in Kent County, and one in Newport County. The two juveniles will be petitioned to Family Court.

Arrested in "Operation Safe Child"

Michael Wallace, age 24, of 24 Marion Ave., Pascoag

Alan Alarcon, age 18, of 75 Commodore St. Providence

Shawn Fay, age 39, of 1023 Danielson Pike, N. Scituate

Robert MacGregor, age 48, of 522 York Av. Unit #3 Pawtucket

Girard Proux, age 43, of 522 York Av. Unit #3, Pawtucket

George Dubuque III, age 21, of 3521 Post Rd., Wakefield

Jeffrey Earl, age 22, of 364 Curtis Corner Rd., Unit B25, Wakefield

Miguel Escobedo, age 38, of 208 Early St., Providence

 Kyle Martin, age 22, of 31 Willis Dr., Cumberland (Possession of Steroids - not child pornography)

 Paul Hutchinson, age 27, of 21 Allen Ave., Barrington

 Joshua Page, age 18, of 8 Swinburne St., Jamestown

 Kyle Bannister, age 19, of 142 Kenyon Hill Trl., Richmond

 Michael Woodard, age 19, of 127 Murray Ave., North Kingstown

Jason Bidondi, age 35, of 84 Fales St., Apt., 206, Central Falls

Jason Demelo, 33, of 24 Delaware Ave, Warwick

Cory Bergeron, age 19, of 10 Clark Mill Rd., Coventry

 17-year-old juvenile, Pascoag

 17-year-old juvenile, West Warwick