Westerly registered sex offender charged with possessing child sexual abuse material

BOSTON, M.A. — A Westerly man who is a registered sex offender has been federally charged after authorities allegedly discovered child sexual abuse material on his cellphone following an international trip.

Federal authorities arrested Frank DeCaro, 47, of Westerly, on Wednesday and charged him with possession of child sexual abuse material, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced.

According to federal prosecutors, DeCaro arrived at Boston Logan International Airport in November after returning from Italy. During an inspection, investigators allegedly found multiple images and videos depicting child sexual abuse material stored on his cellphone.

Court documents state that DeCaro was previously convicted in 2014 of possessing child pornography and received a probationary sentence.

If convicted, DeCaro faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years in federal prison and up to 20 years due to the alleged second offense involving child sexual abuse material. Prosecutors said he could also receive at least five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.