PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island man who pretended to be a 16-year-old girl online in order to get teenage boys to engage in explicit sexual activity in live stream videos has been sentenced to more than 12 years in prison.
Federal prosecutors say 39-year-old Paul Stabile was sentenced Thursday.
The Cranston man pleaded guilty in June to enticement of a minor and possession of child pornography.
Prosecutors say between October 2017 and December 2017, Stabile used the name Cindi Mennillo to pretend to be a 16-year-old Newport girl. Using the name, he persuaded boys from 13 and 15 to engage in sexual activity over Facebook Messenger and Skype.
Police started investigating when a 14-year-old Nevada boy’s mother reported to the FBI that her son was the victim of online enticement.
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