Westerly man detained on child pornography charges

A Westerly man was detained Wednesday after his appearance in federal court in Providence on child pornography charges.

Jonathan Breslin, 32, was charged with receiving and distributing child pornography, possessing and accessing child pornography with intent to view, transfer of obscene material to a minor via interstate commerce and attempted production of child pornography.

According to a release from the Department of Justice for the District of Rhode Island, Breslin was arrested early Wednesday following a search and seizure warrant executed at his home in Westerly. Agents from Homeland Security Investigations and members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force conducted the search, with help from members of the Westerly and Warwick Police Departments. A computer, a digital media storage device and a cellphone allegedly containing child pornography were seized.

According to court documents, in March, a law enforcement officer in Saskatchewan, Canada, arrested an individual in an unrelated matter and found an online mobile chat application on the person’s phone that was allegedly used to discuss and share child pornography images and videos.

Investigations conducted by Canadian law enforcement and HSI found several IP addresses in the United States used to participate in the conversations, including one allegedly belonging to Breslin. Further investigations by HSI in Rhode Island found chats between Breslin and an agent posing as an individual interested in discussing, viewing and sharing the content.