United States Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island
05/08/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 05/08/2025 12:26
Rhode Island Man Admits to Cyberstalking, Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material
Press Release
Rhode Island Man Admits to Cyberstalking, Distribution of Child Sexual Abuse Material
For Immediate Release
District of Rhode Island
PROVIDENCE - A Rhode Island man today pleaded guilty as charged by federal indictment to one count of cyberstalking and four counts of distribution of child pornography, announced Acting United States Attorney Sara Miron Bloom.
Melvin Vidal Herrera Perez, 21, admitted to a federal judge that he befriended a minor child, encouraged her to take sexually explicit images of herself, and later used the images to threaten and harass her after she turned eighteen.
Perez admitted that he used a variety of tactics to cause serious emotional distress to the victim, including opening websites to display her images, texting and emailing her images, and messaging a wide number of individuals in the victim's personal and social circles.
Perez, who has been detained since his arrest in December 2024, is scheduled to be sentenced on August 6, 2025. The sentence imposed will be determined by a federal district judge after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Julie M. White.
The matter was investigated by the FBI.
###
Contact
Jim Martin
(401) 709-5357
Updated May 8, 2025
Press Release Number:25-64
United States Attorney's Office for the District of Rhode Island published this content on May 08, 2025, and is solely responsible for the information contained herein. Distributed via Public Technologies (PUBT), unedited and unaltered, on May 08, 2025 at 18:26 UTC. If you believe the information included in the content is inaccurate or outdated and requires editing or removal, please contact us at support@pubt.io