A registered sex offender has been sentenced to a decade-long federal prison term. David Hamlin, 43, from Cranston, received the sentence after admitting guilt to possessing child pornography. As announced by Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom, this action follows Hamlin's previous charges in Rhode Island state court in 2016 and 2018 for child pornography offenses. In 2018, he pleaded guilty to transporting child pornography.
In court proceedings, it was disclosed that in March 2024, local FBI agents were informed by their Tampa, FL counterparts that a cellphone registered to Hamlin was used to access an online platform, transferring child sexual abuse material to an undercover FBI employee. A month later, two cellphones were confiscated from Hamlin under a court-authorized search warrant. A forensic examination revealed multiple images and videos containing child sexual abuse material.
U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy handed down the sentencing, mandating 120 months of incarceration and 10 years of federal supervised release.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Julianne Klein prosecuted the case. The proceedings are part of Project Safe Childhood, a national initiative aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse. This initiative, spearheaded by U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, combines federal, state, and local resources to address child exploitation and rescue victims. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/psc.