Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced that John Gomes, age 44, with a last known address of 60 Abbott Street, Pawtucket, pled guilty yesterday before Superior Court Justice Netti C. Vogel to two counts of video voyeurism of a person under 18 years of age. Under the terms of the plea agreement, which came on the eve of a trial, Gomes was sentenced to six years with three years to serve and the remainder suspended with probation. In addition, he was ordered to undergo sex offender counseling. Upon release, Gomes must register as a sex offender and will have severely restricted access to a computer and Internet.
Judge Vogel allowed Gomes to remain out on bail pending the execution of his sentence, scheduled for September 22, 2014.
Gomes was arrested on November 10, 2011 by the Rhode Island State Police Computer Crimes Unit/Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force as part of an undercover operation in conjunction with the Office of Attorney General, dubbed "Operation Safe Child Rhode Island," which identified 17 Rhode Island residences actively involved in obtaining and sharing images of child pornography on the Internet.
During the execution of this operation, members of the Task Force obtained evidence from Gomes' residence implicating him in the crime of video voyeurism of a person under 18 years of age.
"I commend the dedicated members of the State Police Computer Crimes Unit and the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force for their efforts to protect children from exploitation by online predators," said Attorney General Kilmartin. "Without question, the nature of crimes investigated by the Task Force is, at best, gruesome. All crimes against children are difficult to comprehend, yet the sexual exploitation of children is something that most could not bear to think about. The men and women who serve on the Task Force are specially trained to identify the faceless child predators that lurk in cyberspace and stop them before they victimize more children."
Assistant Attorney General Ronald Gendron, chief of the White Collar Crime Unit, prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General.