A registered sex offender from Smithfield faces 10 years in federal prison following an undercover operation by a Newport Police Department detective. Mathew Hoard, 40, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted inducement of a minor to engage in illicit sexual activity, possession with intent to view child pornography, and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.
U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy handed down the 120-month sentence, which will be followed by eight years of federal supervised release.
The case began in July 2020 when Hoard initiated online and text message communications with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The recipient was actually an undercover Newport Police Department detective.
Over a two-month period, Hoard sent sexually explicit images and graphic messages to the supposed minor. He repeatedly requested nude pictures and attempted to arrange a meeting for sexual purposes.
The investigation expanded in February 2020 when the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated that an individual had uploaded child pornography to a social media platform.
Task force members traced the upload to an IP address used by Hoard. On Sept. 29, 2020, they executed a court-authorized search of his residence, seizing a cell phone and a laptop computer.
Forensic analysis of the devices revealed videos and images of child pornography. Among the images was one exchanged between Hoard and the undercover Newport detective.
This is not Hoard’s first offense. In 2011, he was convicted in Rhode Island for possession of child pornography, resulting in his requirement to register as a sex offender.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton and Julie M. White as part of Project Safe Childhood. This nationwide initiative, launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006, aims to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.
Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims.
The Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, Newport Police Department, and Homeland Security Investigations collaborated on the investigation.
