Rhode Island man sentenced to prison for posing as ride-share driver to assault multiple minor females

PROVIDENCE – A Rhode Island man who previously admitted to a federal judge that he coerced and sexually assaulted two minor females, assaults that he recorded and retained on his cell phone, was sentenced to federal prison, announced United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha.

In pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography, 52-year-old Francis Scott of Woonsocket and North Providence admitted that on February 14, 2017, while falsely posing as a ride-share driver, he offered a ride to a 15-year-old girl who requested that she be brought to her Providence school. Rather than driving her to the school, Scott drove the girl to a secluded area behind some commercial buildings where, after taking her cell phone from her, he coerced and sexually assaulted her. Scott recorded the assault on his cell phone.

Additionally, Scott admitted to coercing and sexually assaulting a 17-year-old female months earlier. Scott admitted that after he offered the 17-year-old female a ride, he provided her with marijuana and sexually assaulted her. The victim told police that, in addition to providing her with marijuana, Scott provided her with alcohol, and that she felt drugged before passing out. Scott recorded the sexual assault on his cell phone.

“This degradation, exploitation, and depravity represented by this defendant’s abuse of his victims – and his recording of those acts for his own obscene enjoyment, are contemptible,” remarked U.S. Attorney Cunha. “Today’s sentence should serve notice that we will bring to bear every law enforcement resource to address this kind of appalling abuse of children.”

According to court documents, the Providence Police Major Crimes Unit, the Providence Police Special Victims Unit, and the FBI’s Child Exploitation Unit also discovered videos allegedly filmed by Scott of him engaging in sex acts with numerous unidentified women, some of whom appear in the videos to be unconscious or semi-conscious.

Scott was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge William E. Smith to 360 months of incarceration in federal prison to be followed by 20 years of federal supervised release. Additional charges against Scott are pending in Rhode Island state court.

The case in U.S. District Court was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Denise M. Barton.

United States Attorney Cunha thanked the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in preparing the case charged in federal court.