POLICE: WESTERLY SEX OFFENDER USED RHODE ISLAND RESTAURANT WI-FI TO GET CHILD PORN

— A Rhode Island man previously convicted of possessing child pornography used the Wi-Fi network at a restaurant to access and distribute child pornography again, the U.S. Attorney's Office in Rhode Island said.

Police arrested Vincent J. Siravo, 40, of Westerly, on Tuesday, and he appeared in court to hear federal charges of possession of child pornography and distribution of child pornography brought against him.

A Rhode Island task force dedicated to investigating crimes against children perpetrated through the internet first detected that a file-sharing network hosting child pornography was accessed through the internet at a South Kingston restaurant in 2017.

Police searched the restaurant's devices and found no evidence of child pornography. In October, the Internet Crimes Against Children task force again detected that someone was accessing the file-sharing network through the restaurant's internet connection.

A state police officer responded to the restaurant and found Siravo using a laptop while in his car, parked in a handicapped spot. He gave the officer a false name, prosecutors said in a statement.

A court-approved search of Siravo's computer found 2,200 videos and 1,600 images depicting child pornography, prosecutors said. Siravo was convicted in 2008 of possessing child pornography and is a registered sex offender who is supposed to limit his use of the internet, the Westerly Sun reported. He is being held in federal custody.