Pawtucket man pleads guilty to possession of child pornography

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom said a Pawtucket man pled guilty on Dec. 1 for accessing, possessing, and distributing child pornography.

60-year-old Gary Ethier pleaded guilty to distribution and possession of child pornography.

Court documents revealed that members of Homeland Security Investigations Cyber Crimes Center were notified in November of 2024 that Ethier was “discussing the sexual exploitation of minor children” online and sent multiple images of child pornography to another individual.

HSI members and the Rhode Island Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force searched his home on Dec. 2, 2024 and found over 600 images “depicting child pornography” on Ethier’s electronic devices.

Ethier will be sentenced on March 5, 2026.