Johnston Man Pleads Not Guilty to Child Porn Charges

A Johnston man who has pleaded not guilty to child pornography charges, the Providence Journal reported. The former Johnston School Department employee allegedly had more than 900 videos and 1,600 child pornography photos.

Nicholas Pislowski, 23, of 72 Harding Ave., Johnston, is one of eight suspects arrested on child pornography charges. He is charged with felony possession and transfer of child pornography.

Detectives from the State Police' Internet Crimes Against Children Division conducted an "undercover online investigation" beginning in Deecmber 2011, during which they logged into the online sharing sites anonymously and found that "certain Internet Protocol addresses were actively viewing images of child pornography, as well as sharing these images with other users," according to Lt. Col. Raymond Studley. Officers arrested Pislowski last April.

After tracking the IP addresses back to the physical location of the computers, detectives then obtained search warrants for the homes of 14 people around the state found to be downloading and sharing the files, Studley said.

Pislowski was released on bail. A jury trial has been set for July 24.

The other seven suspects include:

• Lee Pollock, 45, of 248 Knotty Oak Drive, Coventry;
• Mark Belanger, 42, of 35 Goff Ave., Pawtucket;
• Luther Gorahkov, 25, of 23 Ray St., Providence;
• Tiberi Simas, 37, of 233 Ohio Ave., Providence;
• Michael Castaldi, 51, of 41 Sundance St., Warwick;
• Joseph Cifelli, 71, of 134 Longview Drive, Warwick;
• Nathan Dayon, 21, of 13 Fairview Ave., Westerly.