Local man guilty of enticing minors to engage in online sexual activity

Another local man is facing prison time for sexual activity concerning minors.

Paul J. Stabile, 39, of Cranston, faces 10 years to life in federal prison when he is sentenced in September, having pleaded guilty on Wednesday to one count of enticement of a minor to engage in sexual activity and one count of possession of child pornography, announced United States Attorney Aaron L. Weisman and Special Agent in Charge of the FBI Boston Division Joseph R. Bonavolonta.

According to information presented in Court, between October 2017 and December 2017, Stabile used an online persona “Cindi Mennillo” to pretend to be a 16 year-old old girl from Newport, R.I. Using the online persona, Stabile persuaded numerous young boys between the ages of 13-15 to engage in explicit sexual activity in live stream videos over Facebook Messenger and Skype.

The investigation began when the mother of a 14 year old boy in Nevada reported to the FBI that her son was the victim of an online enticement. The investigation uncovered chats between Stabile, pretending to be a 16 year-old girl, and the minor victim. Stabile directed the minor victim to send back live video streams of himself masturbating. As part of the effort to deceive the minor victim, Stabile falsely claimed technical difficulties were preventing “Cindi” from reciprocating with live video. Instead Stabile sent the Minor Victim images, both pornographic and non-pornographic, of an athletic young female purported to be “Cindi.”

In November 2018, a federal court authorized search warrant was executed at Stabile’s Cranston residence by law enforcement. Several computers and other media devices seized were found to contain child pornography, including videos of dozens of young teenage boys performing a sex act in a similar manner to the Nevada-based minor victim. Also found were the images sent by “Cindi” to the minor victim.

Stabile admitted to law enforcement that he used the “Cindi Mennillo” online persona to communicate with minors as young as 14, sent them sexually explicit and pornographic images, and persuaded them to livestream video of themselves engaged in explicit sexual activity, which he recorded.

At sentencing on September 26, 2019, Stabile faces a statutory mandated minimum prison sentence of 10 years, up to life in federal prison.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney John P. McAdams.

The case was investigated by the FBI with assistance from members of the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, the Warwick and Cranston Police Departments, and the Washoe County, Nevada Sherriff’s Department.