PROVIDENCE – An instructional technology support specialist employed at a Shrewsbury, MA, middle school today admitted in federal court in Providence to travelling to Rhode Island in July 2016 with the intent to engage in illicit sexual activity with a 15-year-old girl.
Alexander Viola, 29, of Shrewsbury, was arrested on July 12, 2016, after he traveled to Cranston, RI, expecting to meet with and engage in illicit sexual conduct with the 15-year-old, with whom he had been communicating on the Internet and via text messages. The person he solicited was actually a Rhode Island State Police trooper assigned to the Rhode Island State Police Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Viola admitted that for about 10 days, beginning in early July 2016, he communicated online and via text messages with a person he believed to be a 15-year-old girl. Viola turned the conversations to a sexual nature. On July 12, 2016, after leaving his place of employment and after making a brief stop at his residence, he traveled to Cranston, RI, to a previously agreed upon meeting place, with intent to meet with the 15-year-old girl and to engage in sexual activity. Upon his arrival, Viola was arrested by members of the ICAC Task Force. He was released following an appearance in Rhode Island state court.
