North Kingstown Man Indicted On Child Sexual Exploitation Charge

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — A North Kingstown man was one of two Rhode Island men indicted in federal court on Friday as part of FBI Project Safe Childhood child sex exploitation investigations.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said a grand jury indicted Neil Streich, 57, on charges of transferring obscene material to a minor. James Diggins, 47, of Warwick, was also indicted on one count of distribution of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography, in a separate case.

Streich is accused of communicating online with someone the U.S. Attorney's Office said he believed to be a 10-year-old girl. He is accused of requesting photo proof that she was a 10-year-old girl, and three days after receiving non-sexually explicit images that fit his request, he is accused of sending sexually explicit images of himself to the person posing as a juvenile, who was actually an undercover FBI Special Agent.

He was arrested in June by the Providence FBI Violent Crimes Against Children Task Force and released the next day on secured bond.

Diggins is accused of being a member of online groups with an interest in child sexual abuse material. He is accused of being part of those groups when multiple videos of child exploitation and abuse were shared, and commenting on videos that he shared with the group.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said he is accused of sending an undercover police officer a video showing child exploitation and a live photo of himself.

Diggins was arrested in May by the FBI Boston Division's Human Trafficking Child Exploitation Task Force and released to home confinement with electronic monitoring.

Arraignment dates on the indictments have not yet been scheduled by the court.