Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A federal indictment has been filed against Jeffrey Almond, 41, the Fire Marshal for Lincoln, Rhode Island. Almond faces charges related to receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and attempting to send obscene material to minors. Authorities allege that Almond engaged in sexually explicit online chats with individuals he believed were minors.
Almond was indicted on one count of receipt of child pornography, one count of possession of child pornography, and two counts of attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor. He appeared in federal court in Providence and is expected to appear in Boston at a later date.
According to the indictment, between February 12 and November 28, 2024, Almond used various online platforms to receive CSAM and communicated with undercover law enforcement officers posing as minors. It is alleged that he discussed exploiting children with the intent to obtain CSAM or solicit sex from a minor. On August 7 and November 28, 2024, Almond allegedly transferred or attempted to transfer obscene matter to someone he believed was a minor.
Court documents state that in August 2024, Almond used a social media app to communicate with an undercover officer posing as a 15-year-old girl. During these conversations, Almond allegedly asked for explicit images from the purported minor and discussed meeting her in person. He reportedly said, “I guess I could do an air bnb to get more privacy,” before sending an explicit image.
Further allegations indicate that in October and November 2024, Almond communicated through another app with an undercover officer posing as the parent of a supposed 12-year-old girl in Florida. In these exchanges, authorities say Almond described wanting sexual contact with the purported minor and discussed traveling to Florida for this purpose.
If convicted on the charge of receipt of child pornography, Almond faces a mandatory minimum sentence of five years up to twenty years in prison; at least five years supervised release; and up to $250,000 in fines. The possession charge carries up to twenty years imprisonment; at least five years supervised release; and up to $250,000 fine. Each count of attempted transfer of obscene material could result in up to ten years imprisonment; three years supervised release; and up to $250,000 fine. Sentencing will be determined by a federal judge based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the charges along with Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations New England. The Portsmouth Rhode Island Police Department assisted with the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Luke A. Goldworm is prosecuting the case.
The case is part of Project Safe Childhood—a national initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006—to combat child exploitation by coordinating efforts among federal prosecutors like U.S Attorneys’ Offices and agencies such as DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Authorities emphasize that all details provided are allegations at this stage: “The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.”
