Date: 03-31-2023

Case Style:

United States of America v. Francis Scott

Case Number: 1:17-cr-00099

Judge: William E. Smith

Court: United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island (Providence County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office in Providence

Defendant's Attorney:

Description: Providence, Rhode Island criminal defense lawyer represented Defendant charged with coercing and sexually assaulting two minor females that he recorded and retained on his cell phone.

In pleading guilty to two counts of sexual exploitation of a minor and one count of possession of child pornography, Francis Scott, 42, 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.

“The 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 today 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 thanks the Rhode Island Attorney General’s Office for their assistance in preparing the case charged in federal court.

18:2251(a) - SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF A MINOR CHILD
(1s-2s)

18:2252(a)(4)(B) and (b)(2) - POSSESSION OF CHILD PORNOGRAPHY
(3s)

Outcome: The defendant is sentenced to a total of 360 months: 360 months as to Counts 1 and 2, and 120 months as to Count 3, all to run concurrently with each other; 20 years of Supervised Release as to all counts, to run concurrently with each other; Special Assessment: $300.00; No restitution or fine are imposed.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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