Attorney General Peter F. Kilmartin today announced that Joseph Simone (age 25) of 16 Beach Street, North Providence, pled nolo contendere before Superior Court Justice Jeffrey Lanphear to child pornography, indecent solicitation of a minor, extortion and impersonating police officers. Under the terms of the plea agreement, which was reached with the approval of the victims, Simone was sentenced to a total of 10 years with one year to serve at the ACI, two years on home confinement and the remainder suspended with probation. In addition, Simone was ordered to undergo sex offender counseling, is subject to sex offender registration and notification and his access to the Internet and computers was severely restricted for the duration of his sentence. The execution of the sentence is January 16, 2015, at which time he must surrender to the Court.
Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove that on multiple occasions from 2009 through March 2011, Joseph Simone enticed numerous high school boys, aged 14 to 17, to send explicit images and videos of themselves. Impersonating a teenage girl, Simone would seek out the teenage boys via social media sites and on occasion, would utilize video chat where he'd pretend his camera was broken and then record the explicit videos of the boys that were transmitted to him.
If the young men sought to end the online relationship with what they believed to be a young girl, the defendant would threaten to post their explicit videos or photos on Facebook or tell "her father," who was fictitiously identified as a member of the Rhode Island State Police, if they did not continue to send images and videos. In March 2011, a parent of one of the victims notified the Rhode Island State Police of the matter, who in turn conducted the investigation.
Simone was employed as a wrestling coach at Moses Brown when he was arrested.
While out on bail, the defendant impersonated a member of the Rhode Island State Police at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in advance of an "American Idol" concert.
"There is no question that the actions by this defendant are despicable and depraved," said Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. "This case, however distasteful to think about, should serve as a reminder to parents and teenagers about the dangers that lurk on the Internet and the need to be extremely careful with the information you share. It was extremely easy for this defendant to convince nearly two dozen teenage boys to send him explicit photos and videos. I encourage parents to talk to their children about these dangers, as well as proper and safe use of the Internet, social media sites and smart phones."
The Office of Attorney General offers a presentation on the dangers and legal consequences of sexting by teenagers in Rhode Island high schools. Presented by prosecutors from the Juvenile Unit within the Office, it offers a frank discussion on what is and is not appropriate online behavior and potential criminal charges including having to register as a sex offender.
Assistant Attorney General Ronald Gendron, chief of the White Collar Crime Unit, prosecuted the case on behalf of the Office of Attorney General, and the matter was investigated by Sgt. John Alfred of the Rhode Island State Police.