Providence man to serve 9 years in state prison for child molestation

Providence man to serve 9 years in state prison for child molestation

Published on Monday, August 26, 2024

Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced today that a Providence man has been sentenced in Providence County Superior Court to serve nine years at the Adult Correctional Institutions (ACI) after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting a female victim, under the age of 14, between 2016 and 2018.

At a hearing on August 22, 2024,Superior Court Justice Joseph A. Montalbano sentenced Richard Hernandez Fernandez (age 23) to 25 years with nine years to serve at the ACI and a 16-year suspended sentence, with 25 years of probation. The defendant must also register as a sex offender, complete sex offender counseling, and comply with all statutory requirements relating to sex offender registration including lifetime GPS monitoring.

"Sexual assaults against children are the source of tremendous trauma for victims," said Attorney General Neronha. "I am grateful to this victim for coming forward and seeking justice against the perpetrator of these terrible crimes. I would like to thank the Providence Police Department for their diligent efforts during the investigation of this case, and in so many others."

Had the case proceeded to trial, the State was prepared to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that on multiple occasions between 2016 and 2018, the defendant sexually assaulted a female victim, under the age of 14, at a residence in Providence.

"Cases involving the sexual assault of children are some of the most difficult investigations conducted by the men and women of the Providence Police Department," said Providence Police Colonel Oscar L. Perez, Jr. "I thank the Office of the Attorney General for their prosecution of this case and the members of the Providence Police for their diligence in seeking justice for victims of horrific crimes. I hope that this sentence will bring some semblance of peace to the victim involved."

Assistant Attorney General Meghan E. McDonough and Special Assistant Attorney General John F. Kilpatrick of the Office of the Attorney General and Detective Derek Ardito of the Providence Police Department led the investigation and prosecution of the case.

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