A registered sex offender from Smithfield faces 10 years in federal prison following an undercover operation by a Newport Police Department detective. Mathew Hoard, 40, pleaded guilty to charges of attempted solicitation of a minor to engage in unlawful sexual activity, possession with intent to view child pornography and attempted transfer of obscene material to a minor.

U.S. District Court Judge Mary S. McElroy handed down the 120-month sentence, to be followed by eight years of federal supervised release.

The case began in July 2020 when Hoard initiated online and text communications with someone he believed to be a 14-year-old girl. The recipient was actually an undercover detective with the Newport Police Department.

Over a two-month period, Hoard sent sexually explicit images and messages to the alleged minor. He repeatedly asked for nude pictures and tried to arrange a meeting for sexual purposes.

The investigation expanded in February 2020 when the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force received information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. The tip indicated that a person had uploaded child pornography to a social media platform.

Task force members tracked the upload to an IP address used by the Hoard. On September 29, 2020, they conducted a court-authorized search of his home, seizing a cell phone and a laptop.

Forensic analysis of the devices revealed videos and images of child pornography. Among the images was one exchanged between Hoard and the Newport undercover detective.

This is not Hoard’s first transgression. In 2011, he was convicted in Rhode Island of possession of child pornography, which resulted in his being required to register as a sex offender.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Denise M. Barton and Julie M. White as part of Project Safe Childhood. This nationwide initiative, launched by the Department of Justice in May 2006, aims to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.

The Safe Childhood Project marshals federal, state, and local resources to apprehend and prosecute child abusers, and to identify and rescue victims.

The Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Task Force, the Newport Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations collaborated in the investigation.