Cranston Man Sentenced to Twenty-Four Years in Federal Prison for Producing and Possessing Child Pornography

PROVIDENCE - A Cranston man was sentenced today to twenty-four years in federal prison for producing and possessing sexually explicit images and videos involving a female under the age of ten years old, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

Gregory Phillips, 42, pleaded guilty on January 31, 2024, to charges of production of child pornography and possession of child pornography. He was sentenced today by U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy to 288 months of incarceration to be followed by 10 years of federal supervised release.

Phillips previously admitted to the court that, on multiple occasions beginning in late 2021, he produced child pornography and molested a young girl left in his care. Court documents detail that, over a nine-month period of time, Phillips produced 61 images and four videos of child pornography while abusing his victim.

"It is hard to overstate the repugnance of this defendant's conduct - not only did he betray the trust placed in him by sexually assaulting a young victim in his case, but he chose to memorialize that abuse for his own revolting gratification," said U.S. Attorney Cunha. "Today, thanks to exceptional investigative work by Homeland Security, the Rhode Island State Police, and the Cranston Police Department, he faces a sentence that he has richly earned."

Philips first came to the attention of law enforcement when members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force reviewed a report from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) indicating that an individual in Rhode Island had possessed and transferred child pornography. Further investigation by the ICAC Task Force and a Cranston Police Detective determined that the images and videos were being transferred from an account linked to Philips's phone number.

A forensic review of images and videos located on cellphones seized from Philips by law enforcement resulted in the discovery of the images created by Phillips in the course of his abuse, as well as additional child pornography.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Lee H. Vilker.

The matter was investigated by the ICAC Task Force, with the assistance of Homeland Security Investigations. United States Attorney Cunha extends his thanks to the Cranston Police Department for its support and assistance in this matter.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys' Offices and the DOJ's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc

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