Attorney General Peter F. Neronha announced that a Warwick man has been charged in Kent County Superior Court with solicitation of a minor following his arrest by the Rhode Island State Police. The charges were brought against Cesar Garcia, 45, on May 8, 2024, by the Office of the Attorney General.
Garcia was charged via criminal information with one count of solicitation of a minor or someone believed to be a minor and one count of electronically disseminating indecent material to a minor or someone believed to be a minor. It should be noted that an indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The charges stem from an online undercover investigation conducted in November 2023 by detectives with the Rhode Island State Police and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. The investigators posed as a 14-year-old female online during their operation. Garcia allegedly contacted the investigators, whom he believed to be an underage girl, sending invitations for sexual contact and adult pornography.
Further allegations suggest that on November 7, 2023, Garcia was taken into custody when he arrived at a predetermined location in Warwick for sexual contact with someone he believed to be an underage girl.
Garcia's arraignment is scheduled for May 24, 2024, in Kent County Superior Court.